


Falling Bridges

by Whymsical



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, USUK - Freeform, prucan, that plus a lil bit of Francis, there miiight be some death btw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2014-11-18
Packaged: 2018-02-25 09:29:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2616902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whymsical/pseuds/Whymsical
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Kirkland family business is crime. Except Arthur Kirkland, the youngest, who wants nothing to do with it. When pianist Alfred F. Jones becomes involved with Arthur, will he be able to survive? USUK with PruCan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And another story on here. I'm not gonna upload all of the ones from my ff.net account, but just my favourites. This one is particularly special to me, so I hope you like it!

Arthur Kirkland was a haunted man. Not in the cursed sense, but there was always someone imperceptible, someone intangible beside him. No one else in the world could see the spirit, and Arthur was wholly content with that.

Over the past few years, the blond Englishman had built up a reputation of being cold and unapproachable. He refused to talk about his past, and wouldn't go near the area where the two new bridges were being built. The only one who ever saw him smile or perhaps, once in a blue moon laugh, was the ghost who followed him around.

* * *

The Kirkland family business was terror. It hadn't always been- years ago, they were simply a rich and influential family in the city. But then the parents died and Alastair Kirkland took over.

Some said he was merely bored. Others that he was on some sort of personal vendetta. All were afraid of where he would strike next. All were frustrated that the red-haired terror couldn't be caught. The targets were usually buildings or roads. Small explosions, aimed more at fear than death. Some said Alastair Kirkland got off on fear.

Then the bridge collapsed.

Two main bridges connected the island city to the rest of the mainland. There were smaller bridges on the other side of the island, but most people used the two big ones.

There was no explanation as to why it happened. The structure just caved in on itself and sent everything onto the waters of the river. Alastair openly stated his involvement, sending a letter explaining how he planted the bombs to the police. The last line was the same as in every other letter he'd sent: 'Catch me if you can.' Alastair loved to gloat over and remind the authorities about his continued freedom.

Arthur wanted none of it. He was the second youngest in the family, and wanted nothing to do with crime. However, due to his relatives- his other two brothers had both followed in Alastair's footsteps- he had frequently run into trouble.

The police had long ago given up arresting him and trying to get information out of him. He simply didn't know anything about their location and plans. Alastair still enjoyed testing them, though. Either he or one of the other siblings would randomly pop into Arthur's apartment- or ambush him on the street- and drag him out places, like to a bar or some sort of show. Then, once they were identified and the police came, they would vanish like smoke, leaving the Englishman to deal with the cops.

* * *

Arthur glared at the sight before him. He had come home from grocery shopping to find Alastair and Liam, the youngest, lounging on the couch. He didn't speak to either of them as he walked to put his food away.

"What is it this time?" he asked coolly as he returned, leaning against the doorway.

"Yer comin' to a show with us. Tonight. Starts in an hour." Alastair replied flatly. There was no room for refusal in his voice.

Arthur ignored the tone. "No. I'm busy tonight." he said, as he always did.

"You don't have too much of a choice, laddie. It's classical music- piano and flute. You like that shite, yeah?"

"Doesn't mean I want to go see it with you."

Alastair sighed and nodded to Liam. The two of them grabbed Arthur by the arms and led him forcefully from the building. There was a sleek black car waiting and the Englishman was shoved into the back of it, with his brothers right behind him.

"You have  _got_  to stop bloody doing that." Arthur muttered as he got comfortable.

"Then join us willingly." Alastair told him.

"You know my answer." Arthur spat at him.

"Then you know ours." Liam supplied.

Arthur grumbled to himself and stared out the window. There were identical smirks on both Alastair's and Liam's faces, he knew without even looking. He'd seen those smiles many times before in his life and he still got queasy whenever they appeared.

The car pulled up in front of a small, but elegant and fairly well-known music hall/theatre. Alastair exited first and mockingly held the door open for Arthur, complete with a bow and a crooked smile.

"Shove off." Arthur snapped, brushing past them and into the theatre, but not before Liam slapped a black fedora hat onto his head.

He and Alastair were wearing identical ones for the purpose of disguising them for a bit. Empty-rimmed glasses perched on their noses, further adding to their façade. Arthur thought the whole thing was just stupid, and he  _still_  didn't know why the Scotsman insisted on going out when he was a feared criminal- he thought it might have something to do with the gloating- and rolled his eyes as they took their seats.

* * *

Alfred F. Jones was nervous, but he would never admit it. His twin Matthew Williams instinctively knew, though. People often commented on their differing last names, but Alfred would just smile and wink mysteriously at them. It was fun to keep people guessing.

"You'll be fine, Al." Matthew said softly, smiling at the other blond.

Alfred smiled tensely back and nodded, his fingers ghosting over the keys of the piano in the practice room. "Course I will." he said with façadical confidence.

"You're a great player. You've practiced enough. Don't think about it, just play."

Alfred's smile slowly relaxed into a real one. Then it was time to go on and the American let his thoughts whirl away in favour of actions. He walked onto the stage grinning confidently and he and Matthew bowed to the audience. As he straightened back up, his eyes connected with the vibrant green ones of one man in the audience.

Alfred felt a shudder go through his spine and something warm blossom in his chest. He paused for a moment, but at a soft cough from Matthew recovered and turned to the grand piano onstage.

His notes started familiar, with Beethoven's 5th Symphony. After a few more truly classical pieces, they turned a bit more sad and mournful and unfamiliar. That soon lightened up, but the tune was still unknown. Alfred had wanted to end his first really big show with some of his own music that he'd spent most of his life writing.

Matthew accompanied him on the flute, of course. The older twin knew exactly what to add in which place to make everything flow completely, and even went off on his own solo in the middle of the performance.

As the very last notes faded away, the audience began clapping and cheering thunderously. Alfred couldn't keep the broad smile off his face as he and Matthew bowed again. The American watched the green-eyed man carefully while trying to give off the appearance of looking around. It seemed to work well enough, for the man didn't act as if he knew he was being watched. Though he seemed familiar to Alfred for some reason...

He slipped behind the curtain and stayed there, surreptitiously peeking out. He hoped the man would be one of the later ones to leave so the pianist could go over and talk with him. Luckily, the two men alongside him- who, again, Alfred could swear looked familiar from somewhere, but he couldn't remember exactly where- seemed content to stick around for a while and talk to each other.

Once most of the people had dispersed, Alfred slowly walked over to him. The green eyes flicked up and widened slightly with surprise and interest. Alfred stopped in front of him and the two other men paused in their conversation. The one on the left, who seemed older, looked him over. The man had the same eyes as the blond, but his were much sharper and colder and his hair was a deep red. Alfred could sense an immediate distaste in those eyes as the examination finished, but he didn't know why.

"Did ya like the show?" Alfred asked, turning his full attention back to the blond. He had come over to talk with him, after all.

There was silence for a moment. Then, the blond's delicately small mouth opened.

"You're beautiful."

That was the moment Alfred fell well and truly in love.

* * *

Arthur blushed horribly the moment the words slipped out. He had been thinking them throughout the whole performance, but he never meant to voice them. He had been entranced by the tall, blue-eyed pianist ever since the young man had stepped onstage. Nothing else in the world had captivated him as fully as this boy had. His green eyes had been comfortably settled on that broad back for the past hour, and his heart had actually fluttered-  _fluttered!_ \- when he'd come closer.

"I- err...thank you." the man said, a light blush over his cheeks.

"No problem." Arthur responded after a moment, trying to seem less flustered than he actually was.

Alastair abruptly stood and pulled Arthur upright as well, breaking the moment the two blonds had together. "Come on, time for us to go." he said brusquely.

Recognition suddenly flashed in the pianist's eyes. "Hey, aren't you-"

Liam moved in close to him and pressed a hand across his mouth. "You don't want to finish that. Leave." He lightly pushed the other man away.

"Oi, leave him alone!" Arthur tried wrenching his arm free from Alastair's grip, but it was no use.

"We're going." Alastair repeated forcefully.

"What, you're not going to leave me here for the police?" Arthur asked sarcastically.

Alastair shot him a glare and started walking, dragging the blond Englishman along with him. Arthur tried resisting once more, but it didn't work out again. On impulse, he tossed his fedora to the pianist. Then, they were outside.

The black car was waiting. Alastair finally released Arthur, but that was only so he could climb in. A faint siren could be heard in the distance, and Arthur groaned. Sure enough, Liam got into the car with a cheeky grin at Arthur, and the car sped off.

Moments later, the police arrived. Arthur was staring after where the car disappeared into the night, but he turned to face them irritably.

"Mr. Kirkland, we-"

"No, I do not know where the bloody hell they drove off to." Arthur snapped before the Chief Inspector even finished his question.

"No need to get snappy with us, Mr. Kirkland." the Inspector reprimanded, and then sighed. "Would you like a ride to your apartment?"

"I'm fine. But would you perhaps know the name of the pianist from tonight's performance here?"

The Inspector pointed behind the Englishman with a small smile and then got into his squad car to try and chase down the other Kirklands.

Arthur turned and saw a poster. Blushing slightly from embarrassment at his mistake, and he walked closer to read it. It showed two almost identical men, one playing the piano and one the flute. Names were printed beneath the figures.

"Alfred F. Jones..." Arthur read aloud the name beneath the pianist and decided he liked the ring of it.

"Arthur Kirkland." a voice from behind him said.

Arthur whirled around to see the pianist, Alfred, standing behind him, slightly out of breath.

"Oh good, I was worried I wouldn't catch you." Alfred was in normal clothes now, and he slowly stepped closer and placed the fedora on Arthur's head. "So they really just leave ya like that?"

Arthur reached up to touch the hat. He surprisingly didn't mind it there that much now since Alfred was the one to put it there. He raised an eyebrow at the taller man, almost as if to ask him how he knew the information.

Alfred seemed to get the question. "Oh, they did an article on that a few weeks back. People were wonderin' why you weren't arrested and stuff. Plus, you said it in there." He paused for a moment. "You're really not with them?"

"Do I look like a bloody terrorist?" Arthur asked, sighing. He'd gotten that particular question many more times than he'd care to count.

"Not unless all terrorists are all so hot." Alfred replied, grinning at him, but there was a hint of nervousness to that smile.

"P-Pardon?"

"Well, you called me beautiful." Alfred pointed out.

"...Right."

"Well, are we gonna stand here all night, or do you wanna go somewhere?" Alfred asked, tilting his head back briefly to look at the sky. After a moment, he looked back down at Arthur.

Arthur winced at the language, but then shrugged. "Bar?"

"No." Alfred made a face. "I don't drink, and I'm hungry. I know this one place we could go."

"All right. Lead on."

Alfred held out his arm so Arthur could link them if he wanted to. After a moment the Englishman did, and he smiled happily. He led the way to a riverside park, complete with a small boardwalk and a railing to lean over. There was a lone hot dog vendor under one of the street lamps, hoping to make just a bit more from late-night passerby. Alfred headed right towards him.

"That is  _not_  food." Arthur said, unlinking their arms and stopping.

"Yes it is, and it's good too! I come here often. He's got the best hot dogs in the city!" Alfred stopped too and turned to face him.

"If you eat too much of that you're going to get fat."

"No I'm not, this is all muscle. And I exercise a lot. Come one, you don't have to get one, just come with me."

"Oh, all right then." Arthur linked arms with him again and they set off.

Alfred got himself two hot dogs and a soda, and then dragged Arthur off to the boardwalk so he could lean over the railing. The first hot dog disappeared quickly, but Arthur stopped him before he could start on the second.

"Let me try that." he said quietly.

Alfred grinned and held it out for him. "What do ya think?"

Arthur took the smallest bite he could possibly manage and chewed it thoughtfully. "It's horrid." he concluded.

"Suit yourself." Alfred replied, shrugging. Then, he laughed as Arthur took another bite. "Horrid, hmm?"

Arthur huffed and turned away from him, leaning over the railing and watching the water. Alfred finished the hot dog and joined him, content to stand there in silence for a while. The wind from the river ruffled their hair and Arthur shivered a bit from the cool air. His light sweater did nothing to keep it out.

"Shall we go? It's getting late." he said, stepping away.

"Yeah, sure." Alfred followed, sticking his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"I'll walk you home. Lead the way."

Alfred nodded and started off. They walked for about fifteen minutes until they reached a small apartment building. It was surprisingly not too far away from Arthur's apartment. The American stopped before the doors.

"Will you...will you come tomorrow? To my show?"

"Yes, of course." Arthur replied. "And perhaps afterwards we could go grab a bite to eat? At a restaurant?"

"Sounds good. Umm..." Blushing a bit, Alfred hesitated and then leaned down to kiss Arthur lightly on the cheek. "Good night." he said quickly, and then vanished through the doors of the building.

Arthur looked after him for a moment before shaking his head softly and walking off. However, his cheek tingled and was warm for the rest of the night.

He busied himself immensely the next day, trying to avoid his brothers. He didn't need to be spirited away that night. So instead he took his notebooks and pencils to the park and wrote the whole day. Not many people trusted him enough to hire him (he once again had his brothers to thank for that), but he managed to land a small job as a columnist for a newspaper. Not wanting to piss him off for personal safety reasons, the owner of the paper just let him write whatever he wanted, so he usually wrote short stories, poems, or just covered events in the city. People seemed to like his work well enough. He also used his column to not-so-subtly insult his brothers, but he warned them that if they did anything to the newspaper building or staff, he'd find a way to expose them once and for all. And for once, they actually heeded his warning.

However, his efforts were in vain. Right when he was in front of the theatre to enter to see the show, they pulled up and took him. Owen, the oldest, was driving as usual, and he expertly navigated the streets as Alastair and Liam smirked in the back.

"You bloody bastards, I had plans tonight!" Arthur snapped at them.

"They've just changed." Alastair told him calmly.

Gritting his teeth, Arthur glanced through the back windshield one last time before slumping down in defeat. "Where are we going?"

"Party." Liam slipped a mask over his face and shoved a clothing bag into his lap. "You'll change there." He and Alastair were already dressed, and Own had a mask perched in his hair.

"A masquerade? Really? You just  _had_  to drag me along to this?" Arthur grumbled.

"Yup! You know how much we love spending time with you, lil' brother." Liam said, smiling as he slung an arm across the Englishman's shoulder.

"Shove off, and you're younger than me." Arthur slipped out from under the arm and sat in sullen silence the rest of the ride. He didn't want to think about Alfred when he realized that Arthur wasn't there.

The party was boring, like Arthur expected, though they did manage to stay the whole time without incident. The blond spent most of the party standing by the window, staring out into the cityscape and trying to find the theatre where Alfred was playing. A few people attempted to talk to him and dance with him, but after a round of brusque answers they left him alone.

At around 10, Owen slipped up to him and told them they were leaving. "You can go whenever you want." he said.

Owen always had been the most lenient and calm of all Arthur's brothers, and Arthur got along with him the best. It was sometimes questionable why exactly Owen was in the business, but all the reason the brunet would give was that it was personal.

Once Owen moved off, Arthur bolted from the party, pulling the mask off and throwing it carelessly over his shoulder. He ran first to the theatre, but the building was empty. Arthur wasn't really surprised- the show had ended a good twenty minutes earlier. He did have a faint idea where Alfred could be, though. He was right. As he walked into the riverside park, he saw a familiar figure leaning against the railing.

"Alfred!" he called softly as he approached.

Alfred spun around, but when he saw Arthur he just turned right back. His eyes, from what Arthur had managed to catch glimpse of, were bright with hurt and almost...betrayal.

"Please Alfred, I-"

"You were gonna come." Alfred's voice was quiet. "You said you were gonna be there. I was really looking forward to it. I was gonna show off for you...but then I looked for you and you weren't there." He fell silent and stared off across the water.

Arthur didn't say anything for a while. He certainly hadn't expected his presence to mean so much to the pianist. Especially so soon. They had only met the night before, and gone on one date. Could it even be called a date?

All trains of thought in his head stopped, however, when a large gust of wind ripped through him. His hands tightened on the railing, and he tried to bury his head farther down in the too-thin suit jacket. He bit his lip to keep his teeth from chattering and braced himself for the next gust. He looked up abruptly as something warm and heavy was placed over his shoulders. Alfred's brown bomber jacket. The boy himself was still staring out at the river.

"I wanted to come." Arthur said lowly, adjusting the jacket around his frame. Alfred's eyes slid over to look at him, but he otherwise didn't move. "I was outside the theatre when my brothers came and kidnapped me." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Alfred. I really was looking forward to seeing you play again."

It was Alfred's turn to stay silent, mulling over the information he'd received. "Don't apologize for them." he finally said, moving closer to Arthur. "Do you still want to hear me?" he asked, an idea coming to him.

Arthur looked up and nodded. Alfred smiled back at him and took hold of his arm, leading him somewhere. The Englishman protested at first, but Alfred cut him off with a quick hard squeeze. They arrived at Alfred's apartment minutes later.

"What are we doing here?" Arthur asked as he entered, shedding the jacket, and looked around. The place was a bit messy, but not too bad. The walls were decorated with both American and Canadian memorabilia, and he remembered Alfred's brother Matthew. On the way, Alfred had explained that Matthew had grown up apart from him, in Canada, and now considered himself Canadian. The two reunited a few years ago, and were now living together.

* * *

Alfred felt a thrill of excitement go through him again. He hadn't let it show, but he had been a wreck throughout the whole show. Only Matthew had noticed anything wrong with him. But now Arthur was there- in his room, no less!- and would be getting a private concert. His fingers ghosted over the keys of his small piano as Arthur got settled on his bed.

"Ready?" he asked, glancing over.

Arthur's green eyes focused solely on him. "Yes."

The first note rang out, and Alfred let the music sweep him away. He let his hands play instinctively and poured his heart out onto the keys. At one point he looked over at Arthur and found that the other blond had closed his eyes and was smiling. Alfred felt a warmth grow in his chest. The only times he'd seen Arthur smile, really smile, was when he was listening to music. Alfred's music. Okay, so maybe that was a  _bit_  self-centered, but hey, it was all Alfred had to go off.

After half an hour, he let the music slow, and then stop. There was quiet for a few seconds before Arthur snapped back to the present.

"That was...amazing." Arthur said. "Utterly amazing."

Alfred blushed a bit. "Heh, thanks-"

"Oi! Thanks for finally canning that fucking noise!" The shout came in faintly through the window. "We're trying to sleep!"

"Ya know you love it!" Alfred hollered back and stuck his head out of the window briefly, only to rapidly pull it back as a bucket of water came splashing down. At least, he hoped it was water. With his neighbours, he couldn't be too sure. When he turned back, Arthur was smiling a bit. "What?"

"You have lovely neighbours." Arthur replied, glancing at the drops of liquid covering the fire escape grating.

"Yeah, they're awesome." Alfred said with a laugh. He went over and plopped down next to Arthur on the bed. "Does the dinner offer still stand? I'm kinda hungry."

"Yes, but I'm not sure there's any restaurants in the area that are open so late." Arthur said thoughtfully, propping himself up on his arms as he leaned back.

"No problem, there's a pizza place around the corner." Alfred bounced up and pulled Arthur up as well, barely giving the shorter man time to pull on his shoes and coat before whisking him out the door.

"Alfred, slow down!" Arthur called, jogging a bit so that his arm wouldn't be yanked off by the pulling.

Alfred laughed and glanced back, but slowed down to a brisk walk. He didn't let go of Arthur's hand, though. "How's that?"

"It's...nice." Arthur said softly, glancing at their joined hands and smiling a bit again. He shifted the positioning so that he was gripping Alfred's hand back.

Alfred was grinning broadly as they walked into the pizza place and ordered a medium pie. Arthur insisted on mushroom, so half was mushroom and half just plain.

"Hey, isn't that your brother?" Arthur asked suddenly as they looked around for a place to sit.

Alfred looked to where he was pointing and nodded. Indeed Matthew was sitting there in a corner with his albino boyfriend Gilbert. "Yeah, it is. Hey Mattie!" he called as he strode over, Arthur in tow.

Matthew glanced up and smiled softly. "Hey there, Al. Who's your friend?"

"Matthew, Arthur. Arthur, Matthew. Can we join you guys, or are ya busy?" Alfred asked with a wink.

Gilbert snickered as Matthew blushed. "Nah, we'll get busy later on. Birdie's coming to my place."

"Alright." Alfred said, suddenly smirking a bit. "But remember Mattie, you gotta do it safely and use a condom, oh, and don't forget to have him prep-"

" _Thank_  you Alfred, that's quite enough now." Matthew quickly interrupted, his face practically glowing red.

Arthur's was a similar shade as he slipped into the booth. He found himself across from Gilbert and stuck out a hand. "Arthur Kirkland, pleasure to meet you."

"The Awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt, likewi- wait." Gilbert's red eyes suddenly widened as he processed something. " _Kirkland_? As in-"

"Yes, my brothers are arseholes who love to go around blowing things up for fun and generally wreaking havoc, but no I am not with then and don't know their current whereabouts." Arthur cut in.

"That's still pretty awesome." Gilbert said, leaning back against the booth.

"Thank you...I think." Arthur said.

Alfred interrupted all further conversation with a loud enthusiastic yell of happiness as the pizza was ready. He quickly retrieved it and set it down on the table, taking a slice for himself and eating it along the way. Once he sat down, two more slices vanished. Arthur gaped.

Matthew rolled his eyes at Alfred, clearly used to such behaviour. He and Gilbert had their own slices, and politely declined Arthur's offer to join them. The Englishman had a hard enough time scrambling to get some pizza before it all disappeared with one of the twins.

The four of them passed the time contently, and Arthur found himself relaxing more than he thought he had ever managed to. He genuinely enjoyed spending time with Alfred, Matthew, and Gilbert. He had at first been attracted to the American based solely on looks, but with every passing moment the attraction deepened to include other aspects of him. Matthew was also fun to talk to, and he detected a possible drinking partner in Gilbert.

Once all of the pizza had vanished and the conversation had ebbed away (and the waitress was giving them dirty looks- she wanted to go home too), Matthew excused himself and Gilbert, claiming it was late.

"Have fun and be safe!" Alfred cheerfully called after them. He and Arthur left not long after that.

"You don't mind that?" Arthur asked him as they walked along.

"Mind what? Mattie and Gilbert? Nah, Gilbert's cool and besides, Mattie can handle himself. He may look fragile, but he's pretty tough." Alfred replied. "He makes the best pancakes in the world, you'll have to come over one day for them.

"I just might take you up on that offer."

Alfred stopped in front of his building, but didn't actually go in. "Hey, Arthur?"

"Yes?" Arthur stopped next to him and looked up at him, a puzzled expression on his face.

"What are we?"

"Clarify."

"Like, are we together now? As a couple and stuff?"

"Do you want to be?"

"Yeah...yeah I do." Alfred had a faint blush on his cheeks as he smiled and moved a bit closer to Arthur. "What about you?"

Arthur lightly gripped his hand, intertwining their fingers. "Yes, I'd very much like that."

Alfred smiled broadly, but after a few seconds he sombered up again. "Your brothers don't like me."

"They don't like anyone."

"But no, like they  _really_  don't like me. I can tell." Alfred's eyes were wide.

Arthur leaned forward. Was that...fear in them? The Englishman felt a hot flash of anger go through him. "They won't touch you or your brother." he said, a hint of a growl in his voice. "I promise."

"Whoa, haha, possessive much, Artie?" Alfred laughed a bit, but he was still nervous, really.

Arthur nodded shortly and let go of his hand. "Of course. Err...good night then, Alfred." He nodded once more for good measure and jerkily turned away.

"Wait!" Alfred had stood there, just watching him walk away. But now he leapt forward, catching up quickly. He reached him just as Arthur turned around and timed the kiss perfectly. He wrapped his arms around Arthur's frame and felt him stiffen at first but then relax. He held the kiss for a few seconds, but continued hugging the smaller man even after they broke apart.

Arthur licked his lower lip and gazed up at Alfred in wonder. He slowly reached up to caress the side of the taller man's face, his eyes never leaving those blue ones. "Beautiful..." he whispered.

Alfred leaned into the touch and then blushed faintly. "You're pretty hot yourself, Arthur." he whispered back. "Meet me here tomorrow at 6, kay? And then we can finally go out to that nice dinner."

"Alright. 6 it is." Arthur lowered his hand.

"Good night, Arthur." Alfred pressed a quick kiss to Arthur's forehead and stepped away.

The next day, mercifully, there was no sign of his brothers anywhere near him, though there was a brief and unfruitful chase in another part of town. Arthur spent most of the afternoon in the park again, just writing and people-watching (it was one of his favourite pastimes). He left a 4 to get ready, and spent nearly an hour going through his closet- even the dark back corners-, agonizing over what to wear. In the end he decided on a soft grey vest with matching pants, a white button-up shirt, and a dark green tie. He hadn't gone out on an actual date in a long time, so he was excusably nervous as he walked over to Alfred's.

He was about fifteen minutes early, and he heard a muffled curse from behind the door after he'd knocked. Alfred opened the door seconds later, a sky blue shirt unbuttoned and hanging off his frame, and his blond hair a complete mess.

"Oh hey Arthur. Wow, you look really nice." Alfred paused for a second to take in his outfit appreciatively. "Come in and sit down on the couch, I'll be ready in like five minutes."

True to his word, Alfred joined him on the couch about five minutes later, looking distinctly less ruffled. The American was wearing dark jeans, the sky blue button-up shirt from before, and his brown bomber jacket. Not too many people would have managed to make the outfit work, but Alfred was one of them.

"You look very nice." Arthur told him, smoothing out the corners of Alfred's collar

"Thanks." Alfred stopped Arthur's hands with his own and simply held them in place against him. "Screw dinner, let's just stay here and cuddle." he suddenly muttered, pulling Arthur closer.

"As...entertaining as that notion sounds, I am hungry. I've barely eaten all day." His stomach growled in agreement and Arthur sent him a pointed look.

"Oh, fine, fine. Can't have ya starving away, can we?" Alfred let go of his hands and stood up, holding the door open for him with an exaggerated bow.

"Idiot." Arthur said affectionately as he walked out.

Alfred just smiled and followed him out. They walked leisurely down the streets until they came across a restaurant that Arthur liked. Over dinner, Alfred shared some stories about his and Matthew's childhood, and Arthur was content to just listen. The American tried to ask him questions about his past as well, but Arthur answered shortly and vaguely while still managing to be polite. The subject of the other Kirklands was never broached.

"So we can go cuddle now?" Alfred asked as soon as they'd split the bill. He had wanted to pay the whole bill, but Arthur threatened to start a fuss if they didn't share it, and finally he agreed.

"Yes, I suppose we can." Arthur smiled very softly as he stood.

Neither of them noticed the redhead in the corner watching them as they left.

Matthew was home when they entered, working on some university work, and he casually reminded Alfred that he had an essay due as well. That put an end to the cuddling as Arthur refused to cuddle until Alfred finished the essay.

"Just a bit!" Alfred wouldn't let the Englishman leave. "C'mon, Arthur!"

Arthur nuzzled to him briefly and left lingering kisses on his neck. Then he expertly slipped from Alfred's arms to the door. "That's enough for now. Go work."

Alfred pouted, but eventually resigned himself to his fate. "Can I at least get your number? So I can call you and stuff?

"I don't see why not." Arthur started smirking as he wrote his phone number on a slip of paper. He then sauntered over and wrapped his arms around Alfred's waist, slipping the paper into the back pocket of the dark jeans as he did so. He kept his hands in the pockets for a while longer while he kissed the other man, and as he pulled away completely he gave Alfred's ass a nice hard squeeze.

Alfred squeaked and blushed in surprise. "A-Arthur...?"

"Good night, love." With a final smirk, Arthur left.

He felt ridiculously pleased with himself as he walked along home. He normally wasn't so forward of bold with his affections, but with Alfred it was different. And Arthur found himself liking that different very much.

"Arthur!" someone called from behind after a few minutes.

Arthur glanced around eagerly, expecting Alfred, but it was Alastair who fell into step with him. "What do you want?"

"Stay away from the pianist." Alastair warned him. "We don't approve of him."

"Do not tell me what to do." Arthur snapped back, stopping. "Especially when who I go out with is the topic."

"We will interfere if we must." Alastair told him, his voice lacking the tone of any particular emotion. "Matthew and Gilbert as well."

Arthur suddenly gripped the Scotsman's shirt and slammed his brother into a nearby wall. "You will stay the fuck away from all three of them, or so help me God I will  _ruin_  you." he hissed, green eyes blazing.

Now Alastair merely smirked. "And how do you propose to do that, eh little brother? You don't know where we are."

"You think you're the only one with connections?"

"Ahh, wee Arthur's decided to play the wolf's game. Tell me then, what have you found out?" Alastair appeared to be lounging against the wall instead of being pinned to it.

"I could tell you the names of all your little whores for the past month, for starters." Arthur smirked a bit in return, knowing that Alastair didn't like the names getting out and wanted to keep them private. "How is your Frenchman treating you? You seem to have taken a liking to him, keeping him around for the past week. Francis, was that his-"

Alastair pushed him away and slapped him hard across the face. "Shut yer trap. So you know who I sleep with. Big deal." He tried playing it off as nothing, but he was furious. That was private information, and not easily gained.

Arthur gingerly touched his cheek and then straightened up. "That was with minimal spying." His connections were in fact two of his co-workers, a Japanese man named Kiku and a Hungarian woman named Elizaveta. They both looked unassuming and ordinary, but Kiku was a world-class hacker in his spare time and if you got Elizaveta interested, she stuck to a trail with more conviction than a bloodhound. All Arthur had had to say this time was that Alastair kept male bedmates. "Stay away from Alfred, Matthew, and Gilbert unless you want to wake up in a jail cell. Or a coffin."

Fixing Alastair with one last fierce glare, Arthur turned and stalked away. He hurried to his apartment, his stomach twisting itself into knots of worry the entire way. He cursed himself for not getting Alfred's phone number because now he had no way to call the man and make sure he was safe. But luckily for him, Alfred had called his house and left a message. Arthur dialed the number and waited, his fingers twitching around the body of the telephone.

"S'up? This is Alfred-"

"Alfred, are you and Matthew alright?" Arthur cut him off, starting to pace.

"Arthur? Is that you? Yeah, we're both fine. Why?"

Arthur sank down into a nearby chair with relief. "Oh thank  _God_. I was getting worried."

"Why? Are you okay? Arthur, what's going on?"

"Alastair- Alastair came up to me after I left. You were right. God, I'm sorry for getting you into this mess. And Matthew and Gilbert too."

"Arthur. Hey, Artie, listen to me. You didn't get me into anything, okay? Your brothers are the ones threatening us or whatever he said to you. Not you. Got that?" Alfred told him sternly.

"Yeah..." Arthur rubbed at his still-stinging cheek.

"Okay. Good. You're not gonna try to avoid me now or anything, right?" Alfred said lightly. "Cuz that wouldn't help anything if they've already got their sights on us."

"No, I'm not." Admittedly, Arthur  _had_  considered doing that, but Alfred's words made sense to him. "How's your essay going?"

"...That's really what you're asking me?"

"Yes." Arthur needed a distraction, another topic.

"It's going pretty okay..."

"You haven't started, have you?"

"Hey, I did! I'm not that much of a slacker!" Alfred protested. But if Arthur wanted to talk about something else, then Alfred would indulge him.

"How much do you have, then?"

There was a low mumbling at the other end of the line.

"Beg pardon? I couldn't quite understand that."

"...A line. But it's my thesis, so now all I gotta do is prove it! That's easy, so I'll be done soon."

"Alright then. Just...watch out for yourself, yes?"

"I will. Don't worry about me."

"How can I not? We're in a relationship!"

"I know, I know. But I can take care of myself, like Mattie. We're both pretty tough. Hey listen, I gotta go if I'm gonna finish this essay. So good night. I'll come by tomorrow?"

"You don't know where I live."

"Oh, right. Where  _do_  you live?"

Arthur allowed a tiny smile to creep onto his face as he passed on his address. "I should be in after five."

"Okay, cool. I'll see ya then. G'night!"

"Good night." Arthur wanted to add on another 'Stay safe', but he restrained himself and ended the call.

He still worried, though. He couldn't fall asleep for a long time that night, his mind running wild with horrible possibilities of how his brothers could 'interfere'. The next morning at work, he marched straight to Elizaveta's office.

"I need more information." he said once she'd let him in.

"On?"

"My brothers. They've..." Arthur paused, considering whether or not to tell the enthusiastic woman about Alfred, but then he prepared himself for the onslaught and continued. "They've threatened someone close to me, and I'd like to make sure they don't do anything to him."

Elizaveta instantly brightened. "Him? Your lover?"

Arthur blushed faintly. "Y-Yes, I suppose he could be called that."

"Don't worry Arthur, we're on it." Elizaveta stood and patted his arm reassuringly. She flipped out her phone and started talking while she headed out. "Kiku? Come on, we have work to do. Meet me..." Then she was out of earshot, and he couldn't hear anything else.

Arthur looked after her for a moment, slightly reassured by her words, and then turned back to his work. He called Alfred just before he left the office for the day to make sure he was still coming over later. He was.

Alfred arrived about half an hour late, and by that time Arthur was having a miniature panic attack.

"You're late." he said sternly when Alfred finally showed up.

"Hi to you too." Alfred replied, stepping around the Englishman and into the apartment. The place was very neat and clean. The colour scheme was neutral and earthy, and there were green accent pieces here and there.

"Where were you? What happened?" Arthur's hands flitted around Alfred's body lightly and hesitantly, making sure the other man was okay. "I couldn't reach your cell phone either."

"Monday night traffic. And my phone died." Alfred's gaze softened and he reached up to stop Arthur's hands, holding them still against himself. "Hey, it's okay. I'm fine." Transferring both of Arthur's hands into one of his own, he used his other to caress the smaller man's cheek. "It's okay." he repeated gently.

Arthur leaned into the touch, closing his eyes briefly. He let out a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm being unreasonable about the whole thing, aren't I? Getting so paranoid..." He chuckled humourlessly.

"I think it's sweet ya care so much." Alfred led him to the couch and settled down on it, pulling Arthur down right next to him. "Now, what do you say about a nice evening relaxing in front of the TV?"

"That sounds...nice." Arthur turned the television on and passed the remote to Alfred. "Here, you may choose."

Alfred grinned and flicked through the channels, suddenly stopping and going back to one. "WALL-E!" he said happily, eyes shining. "And it just began, too!"

"All right then. I haven't seen this in a long time."

"Awesome!" Alfred leaned to the side and kissed him briefly before settling back against the couch. He slung an arm around Arthur's shoulders and pulled the other blond right up against his side.

Arthur started at the kiss and all of the sudden movement, but then relaxed and settled down to enjoy the movie. Alfred was crying at the end, and his own eyes were bright with an unshed wetness.

"They're- They're so cute together!" Alfred cried out, sniffling and blinking rapidly as he watched the ending credits.

Arthur was watching him, and he chuckled lightly at the American's actions. "Yes, they really are." he agreed.

The blue eyes focused on him and suddenly brightened even more. Alfred grinned and connected their foreheads, trying to imitate the 'kiss' between the two robots. Unfortunately, he was a bit too enthusiastic and the action ended up more painful than romantic.

"OW-Alfred!" Arthur winced and leaned away from him, rubbing his forehead gingerly.

"Ack- Sorry, sorry!" Alfred leaned forward and lightly touched the reddening spot. "Are you okay?"

Arthur could feel a slight headache coming on, but he nodded.

"I'm sorry, Artie." Alfred lightly pressed his lips to Arthur's forehead. "There. Is that any better?"

"Yes Alfred, it's all better now." Arthur said, light sarcasm floating around the words. "But thank you."

"Course, Artie!"

"Why do you call me that?"

"Cuz it's a nickname, and Arthur sounds really stuck up and everyone else calls you Arthur and I wanna be the only one to call you Artie." Alfred said cheerfully, not once pausing to take a breath.

Arthur looked at him, silently deliberating. "Not in public." he finally said.

"Okay. Not in public." Alfred agreed, and looked to the screen where another movie was starting. "Ooh, let's watch this too!"

* * *

They ended up just watching random movies until it was late and Arthur fell asleep. Alfred shut the television off and carried him to bed, leaving him in his day clothes and tucking him in. He closed the door to the bedroom and looked around. He didn't think he could stay the night without Arthur inviting him to do so, but he also didn't want to leave him alone with the door unlocked. He found a spare key hanging on a hook by the door and sighed with relief. Taking one last glance to make sure everything was in order, he left, locking the door behind him.

He met Gilbert at the door to his building. The albino was flushed and smiling, but Alfred chose to ignore what that meant.

"Hey there. Hope ya cleaned up." he said cheerfully.

Gilbert snickered. "Just kissing today. And how's it going with your dangerous little boy?"

Alfred sighed and leaned against the side of the building. "He's wound up. And worried. His brothers apparently threatened us, and now he's afraid to let me out of his sight."

"Us?" Gilbert's eyes narrowed. "As in me and Birdie too?"

"Yeah."

"Bastards better stay the fuck away. Not that we can't take 'em." Gilbert gave him a wink, but his eyes were still hard. He glanced upwards to where the window of Alfred and Matthew's apartment were and shook his head. "I guess Eyebrows has a right to worry..."

"Eyebrows?"

"Have you seen his? Honestly, they're like caterpillars." Gilbert snickered again.

Alfred shrugged. "Didn't really notice them."

"...Wow, you  _are_  in love." Gilbert smirked at him and then turned to walk away. "See ya, in any case."

"Night." Alfred watched him until he had turned the corner before going up. "Hey Mattie!" he called as he closed the door.

Matthew looked up from his books. "Hey. How did your date go?"

"We just stayed on the couch and watched movies."

"That sounds nice."

"Yeah. It was." Yawning, Alfred shuffled off to his room. "G'night then. See ya in the morning. Be sure to lock the windows and door."

"Good ni- why lock the windows?" Matthew turned his swivel chair to face his twin. "We're on the fifth floor."

"Just a precaution." Alfred answered easily.

"A precaution against what?"

"Please, just do it, Mattie!"

Matthew stood up and walked over to him. "Alfred, what's going on?"

"I don't know." Alfred lied, just a bit. He didn't want Matthew to worry about it, though. "Just lock 'em, okay?

Matthew looked into his eyes for a moment and then sighed, realizing that he wasn't going to get anything out of him. "Fine, I will. Good night." He went back to his desk.

"Good." Alfred smiled at him and then vanished into his room.

He woke early the next morning and left a message on Arthur's phone saying that he was fine and he had taken the spare key, and that he'd give it back soon. He then checked all of the windows and was happy to see they were indeed locked.

He sat through all his classes patiently, waiting for the evening when he'd be able to see Arthur again. But Arthur called him early on and told him that he'd been kidnapped again, and he didn't know when he'd be able to get home. Alfred sighed, but understood that Arthur didn't really have a choice in the matter so he couldn't get mad at the Englishman.

And the next day, Alfred had to stay after in his classes to finish up some work and had a concert later that evening so he wasn't able to see Arthur then either.

Finally on Thursday the both of them had some free time. Alfred was really excited about it, and Matthew just rolled his eyes at him. The two of them had crossed paths, and Matthew decided to walk Alfred over to Arthur's place.

"I hope he wasn't worried too much." Alfred was keeping up a constant stream of chatter. "And it really sucks that they took him again- I mean, can't they leave him alone for even a bit? And too bad he couldn't come to the concert yesterday- Oh, you did a real nice job, Mattie- we coulda gone-"

"Alfred!"

Suddenly, Alfred was tackled to the side. He dimly heard a crash and a few screams from behind him as he hit the ground.

"Whaa...?" He blinked and looked behind him.

Matthew was lying down next to him, and there was a tipped over street lamp behind them, right where Alfred had been walking seconds before. They were in the historic district, so the lamps were ornate and heavy. Heavy enough to potentially kill someone.

Alfred's eyes widened. "Oh shit..." he whispered. "Mattie, are you okay?!" He reached over and shook Matthew's shoulder.

The quiet blond opened his eyes and looked around. "I'm fine. Are you?"

"Y-Yeah." Alfred shakily stood and pulled Matthew up as well. He was trembling. "We're okay!" he called to the small crowd of people around them and hurried away, glancing at the lamp once more before it disappeared from sight.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter. And the action continues! I hope to have the story fully uploaded by tomorrow evening.

Arthur knew something was wrong the moment he opened the door. Alfred and Matthew both stood there, breathing hard. There were scratches down Alfred's arm and a cut on Matthew's cheek. Alfred was trembling a bit and his eyes were wide.

"What happened?" he demanded, pulling them both into the apartment and locking the door.

"Street lamp- fell- nearly hit-" Alfred sat down on the couch and took a moment to compose himself. "I almost got whacked with a lamp pole, but Mattie pushed me out of the way."

" _What?!_ " Arthur gritted his teeth and his hands clenched by his sides. "Those utter  _bastards_." he muttered viciously. Then, he went over to them and peered closely at their injuries. "You're still bleeding. Hold on a tick, I'll get some bandages and water."

Both of them blinked and looked down, as if just now realizing that they were injured. Given their adrenaline rush from before, they probably hadn't even noticed the pain. Arthur came back with some warm water, wash cloths, bandages, and band-aids. Matthew insisted that he could tend to his cheek on his own, so Arthur settled down next to Alfred and gently took hold of his arm.

Alfred winced as Arthur lightly prodded the area around the scratches. "I'm fine, it's just a scratch."

"No it's not! Those- those-" Arthur suddenly leaned forward and kissed him fiercely, moving incredibly close and wrapping his arms around Alfred's neck.

The American was surprised at first, but after a few seconds he kissed back and held Arthur close. "What was that for?" he asked once they'd pulled apart. "I'm not complainin' or anything, just why?"

Arthur looked down and focused on cleaning the scratches. "I don't know if it's too early to say this, but I can't loose you." he said softly.

Matthew sensed the intense atmosphere between the two of them and tactfully exited the room, heading to the guest bedroom to finish up with his own first aid.

"Aww, Arthur." Alfred smiled lightly, but there was still a nearly unnoticeable undercurrent of fear in it. "It'll take more than a lamp pole to kill me."

Arthur didn't smile back. He silently finished cleaning the cuts and then bound them with the bandage. He was careful not to wrap it too tightly. "How's this?"

"It's good, thanks." Alfred leaned back fully against the couch and closed his eyes.

"Are you hungry? I don't really have too much food, but we can order in." Arthur suggested, standing and cleaning up all of the excess supplies.

"Sounds good." Alfred opened one eye and watched him. "So we're not going out at all?"

"No. Who knows what other 'accidents' they have in store for you?" Arthur said firmly. "In fact, you and Matthew should stay the night."

"Sure, we can do that." Alfred brightened at the prospect of sleeping over. "But how'll we sleep?"

"Matthew can take the couch, and you can share a bed with me." Arthur replied.

"O-Oh right." Alfred stood up and helped him put everything away. "So what kind of food are we gonna order?"

"I don't know. What would you like?"

"Uhh...pizza! Hold on though. Hey Mattie! You can come out now!" Alfred called over in the direction of the door.

A few seconds later, the door opened and Matthew cautiously stuck his head in. Seeing no action, he entered fully. "What's going on?"

"We're staying here for the night and we're gonna order food. Pizza's okay for you?" Alfred asked.

"Yes, it's fine." Matthew replied. "But...eh..."

"What is it?" Arthur stepped over to him, looking concerned. "Are you all right? Not hurt?"

"N-No, I'm fine, thank you." Matthew said, reaching up and touching his cheek lightly. "But Gilbert..."

Arthur smiled kindly at him. "You can invite him over. The couch should fit you both."

Matthew thanked him and dashed off to the other room to make the call. The other two blonds could hear him talking quickly to presumably Gilbert, but the walls were too thick for them to distinguish actual words.

"Hold on." Alfred suddenly said. "Couch? Don't you have a guest bedroom in here? It's a pretty big apartment."

"I...converted it into a private library."

"Really?" Alfred snickered.

Arthur huffed and blushed. "Shut up!"

"Aww, don't be like that." Alfred went over to him and hugged him. "Hey, I'll tell you a secret." He waited until Arthur was looking curiously at him. "I play superhero theme songs on the piano when I've got free time. Like Captain America and stuff." He grinned broadly.

Arthur had to smile back. "That's- very nerdy, but actually a bit cute."

"I'll play 'em for you sometime."

"You guys don't have to call for delivery." Matthew's voice came from the couch, where the quiet blond was sitting. "Gilbert will bring it when he comes."

Alfred and Arthur started. "H-How long have you been there?" Alfred asked, clutching the Englishman closer. He knew that Matthew could be near unnoticeable when he wanted to, but he still always jumped when that happened.

"Few minutes." Matthew smirked a bit, the expression looking slightly odd and more than a bit discomforting for them on his face. "I hope you don't mind one cheese, mushroom, and Canadian bacon pie."

"Just one pie?" Alfred groaned.

"Of course not. Three separate ones." Matthew said. "I know how much you can put away."

Until Gilbert arrived with the food, the three of them prepared plates and utensils, cleaned up (though there wasn't that much to clean- Arthur was a bit of a neat freak), and Arthur made tea for them all. When Alfred saw the beverage, he wanted to go out and buy some soda, but Arthur wouldn't let him.

"But whyyyy?!" Alfred draped himself heavily over Arthur's shoulders.

Arthur grunted under the weight. "It's...dangerous. You could get- hurt. Get off me, you're heavy!"

"Ya know you like the weight." Alfred grinned and winked at him before pouting again. "But come on Artie, it's  _pizza_! Pizza and soda just  _go_  together! Besides, the store is like right around the corner, I won't be gone long! Nothing will happen!"

"...I'm coming with you." Arthur said, after giving it a moment of thought. "Matthew, will you be fine on your own?"

"Yes. I found a book in the other room, would you mind if I started reading it?"

"Go right ahead." Arthur pulled on a coat and scarf. The nights were getting colder, if the last few were anything to go by. It was late November, after all. "Come on, then." He motioned to Alfred.

"Coming, coming." Alfred pulled on his jacket and followed him out of the door. The store really was right around the corner, and as soon as they entered it he ran happily to the soda section. "Coke!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Two bottles. That's it."

"Fine. But coffee too, for tomorrow morning." Alfred pushed the two bottles of Coca Cola into Arthur's arms and dashed off in search of the coffee before the Englishman could reply. He returned not two minutes later with a small can of instant coffee.

"Is that all? Yes it is." Arthur answered his own question, cutting across Alfred as the other opened his mouth.

They ran into Gilbert after leaving the store. The albino was carrying three pizza boxes and a six pack of beer. Alfred took the beer from him and added it to the bags he was carrying, and Arthur accepted one of the boxes.

"So what happened?" Gilbert asked. "Matthew wouldn't tell me anything over the phone."

"I'm sure he'll explain in person." Arthur told him.

Matthew opened the door for them and Gilbert practically tossed the pizzas onto the table before going over to him.

"Birdie, what happened?!" He held Matthew's face between his hands and lightly ran a thumb across the cut. "Are you hurt anywhere else?!"

"I'm fine, don't worry. Alfred and I just had a run-in with a falling lamp pole." Matthew replied, placing his own hands over Gilbert's and squeezing them reassuringly.

"An accident?" Gilbert asked, his red eyes dark with worry.

"We're...we're not sure." Matthew said quietly.

"Schiße!" Gilbert swore, removing his hands from Matthew's face, but that was only so he could hug him. He looked up at Arthur from over Matthew's shoulder. "Your brothers- if they did this- I will- I'll  _kill_ -"

"You might have to get in line." Arthur told him, smiling thinly.

"Hey guys, let's eat!" Alfred interjected loudly, opening one of the boxes. "Pizza's gonna get cold soon."

"Right." Gilbert led Matthew go and sauntered over to the table, settling down in one of the chairs. "Pass me a beer Al, would you?"

Alfred did so and looked to Arthur.

Arthur gave him a flat stare in return. "Tea."

"You're gonna have to make that yourself. Mattie?"

"Soda, please." Seeing Arthur's somewhat betrayed look, Matthew shrugged. "It goes with pizza, what can I say?" When he received his glass he took a long, contented sip and ignored Arthur's choking noises.

Once Arthur's fresh cup of tea was made, the four of them set about dividing up the pizza slices. In the end, it was decided that Alfred could have the whole cheese pie and then share the mushroom one with Arthur, while Matthew and Gilbert split the bacon one. At first, Arthur had been skeptical that Alfred could eat a whole pizza by himself, but those doubts vanished when half of the slices did.

"Honestly, you should slow down." Arthur told him, he being only halfway through his first slice.

Alfred finished off the piece he was munching through and grinned. "What? Nearly getting killed by a street lamp works up a pretty damn big appetite." he said jokingly.

"Don't joke about that!" Arthur hissed, no amusement on his face. "You could have  _died_!"

"Whoa there Arthur, but I didn't." Alfred told him, his own smile fading a bit. He reached across and rested his hand atop Arthur's.

Arthur pulled his hand away. "It's not funny. Excuse me, I'm no longer hungry." he muttered, pushing away from the table and stalking off to his bedroom.

He slipped into his bed and stared up at the ceiling, his tears finally escaping down his cheeks. He had been so scared all evening, but he'd kept on a brave face for as long as he could manage. But then Alfred had started  _joking_  about the whole incident... Arthur had never cared so much for someone as he did for the American, and now he'd almost lost him. Because of his brothers. He turned over onto his side and cried silently.

* * *

Alfred stared at Arthur's now empty seat for a long time, until Gilbert finally snapped him out of his daze. He didn't eat any more, instead placing the leftovers into the fridge. Matthew and Gilbert were done too, so they cleaned up, and then the three of them tried to figure out how to pull out the couch. It took them a while, but they finally managed to turn it into a bed.

"Well, g'night then. Don't make a mess of Arthur's sheets." Alfred said, entering the bedroom and changing in the dark.

Arthur was a still lump beneath the sheets, and Alfred moved silently as not to wake him. He slipped under the covers and lay still on his back. After a few minutes, he noticed periodic tremors in the covers, coming from Arthur.

"Umm...Arthur?" Alfred moved a bit closer to him. "Are you crying?"

"...Of course not, idiot." Arthur's voice came thick and quiet after a moment.

Alfred wriggled up to him and hugged the sobbing form to him, resting his head on Arthur's shoulder. "Don't cry, Arthur." He didn't like seeing or hearing the Englishman cry- it just didn't suit him. He then resolved to do anything he could to get Arthur happy again.

Pulling away for a moment, Alfred turned Arthur over onto his back and then crawled on top of him, straddling the smaller man slightly. Arthur looked up at him in surprise. His face was red and blotchy, and his cheeks were streaked with tears. Alfred smiled down at him in return and ran a hand through his hair. He leaned down and kissed Arthur's ear.

"I love you, Arthur." he whispered. "Sorry for earlier." He quickly kissed him full on the lips before the other man could respond.

Arthur kissed back, his arms going around Alfred's shoulders. Alfred responded by slipping his hands underneath Arthur's shirt and feeling the smooth skin. He felt Arthur shudder slightly and kept up the light touches, his hands wandering up and down the Englishman's body. He pulled away from Arthur's mouth and started trailing kisses down his slender neck.

"A-Alfred, wait." Arthur whispered, his breath warm against Alfred's ear. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Alfred did pause, and he propped himself up on his arms so he was hanging over the other man. "Yeah." he replied huskily, and dipped back down.

They both lost clothes not long after that, and soon they were rocking together at a comfortable pace. It had been awkward at first, but Arthur had guided Alfred and now there was just pleasure. Alfred reached his climax first, and then helped Arthur with his. Then, Alfred collapsed onto the bed and fixed their positions so they were spooning comfortably. Arthur had stopped crying a while ago, and for that, Alfred was happy.

"I love ya, Artie..." he mumbled, closing his eyes and holding Arthur close. He nestled his chin into Arthur's hair and sighed contently.

"I love you as well." Arthur murmured back. There was silence for a few moments, before his light snores filled the room.

Alfred fell asleep as well, and was woken rather rudely the next morning by an unnecessarily loud alarm clock. He groaned and cursed the thing, thinking that Matthew had just been spiteful and set his alarm clock extra early. But the more he thought about it, the more the noise seemed off. He felt something warm stirring in his arms and looked down just as Arthur opened his eyes and looked up.

"Mornin'." Alfred said lightly, smiling down at him.

"Good morning." Arthur smiled slightly in return and slipped out of his arms, moving quickly to his closet to get a robe.

Alfred shivered as the cool air hit his body, and then slowly rolled out of bed. He scrunched up his nose as he felt the dried stickiness on his stomach and legs. "Ugh, can I shower here?" he muttered, stifling a yawn.

"Of course. The bathroom's right through here." Arthur gestured to a door and threw the pianist a towel.

"Let's go together. It'll be quicker." Alfred tugged Arthur along with him, ignoring the other's halfhearted protesting. "Oh come on, it'll be fun."

Arthur finally stopped resisting. He just allowed himself to be led to the bathroom. He turned on the water and turned back to Alfred while he waited for it to warm up. He was surprised to find the American right behind him, watching him hungrily.

"Err...Alfred?"

"I'm real glad you put that on, cuz now I get to do this." Alfred slowly reached forward and slipped the robe off, his fingers lightly touching the pale skin wherever it was exposed. After a moment the fingers stopped moving and lingered on Arthur's shoulders, and Alfred's head dipped forward.

"My, my, you are horny." Arthur said lightly, backing away from him a bit. "Was last night not enough for you?"

"Mmm..." Alfred blinked and smiled sheepishly, and Arthur realized that he was still half asleep.

The Englishman rolled his eyes and stepped into the shower, tugging Alfred along with him. The American started awake when the water hit him, but then continued to doze off. Arthur poked him.

"Don't fall asleep on me now, Alfred." he said loudly.

"Shh.." Alfred pressed his hand lightly over Arthur's mouth. "S'too early for loud noises." he said lowly.

Arthur looked at him critically. Then, he removed Alfred's hand from his mouth and leaned forward to bite the American firmly on the neck. Alfred gasped and wakened, but Arthur took no notice and sucked on the skin until he had left a decent-sized hickey.

"A-Arthur..." Alfred groaned, wrapping his arms around Arthur's thin shoulders and leaning heavily on him. "What was that for?" he asked, more awake now.

"To wake you up." Arthur shifted under all of the new weight. He reached around Alfred and picked up a bar of soap, starting to wash the other's back.

Alfred sighed with pleasure, and when Arthur was finished he returned the favour. His hands threaded through Arthur's hair as he shampooed it, and he arranged the foamy tufts into different wild hairstyles. Arthur rolled his eyes as he stepped under the stream of water to wash it off.

"Are you done, Alfred?" he asked.

"Yeah." Alfred stepped out of the shower onto the rug and immediately wrapped a towel around his waist. Keeping one end covering his privates, he used the other to pat himself dry.

Arthur stood underneath the water for a while longer before following him out, only to be wrapped in a towel by Alfred, who then proceeded to dry him off. "I-Idiot." he sputtered, blushing. "I can do it myself." But he allowed Alfred to do it all the same.

Alfred finished and then dressed quickly in his previous day's clothes before stripping the bed of the sheets. Arthur told him where the washing machine was and he set off with them. Matthew and Gilbert were tangled together on the couch. At first glance they both seemed to be asleep, but Gilbert cracked his eyes open when Alfred passed nearby. He saw the sheets and snickered.

"So who made a mess of the sheets, huh?" he asked quietly so he wouldn't wake Matthew.

"Shash!" Alfred hissed back, red-faced. He walked past quickly and dumped the sheets into the washing machine. He stalled there for a while, hoping that when he did eventually go out, Gilbert would either be asleep or have forgotten about it. When he came out five minutes later, Arthur was in the kitchen preparing tea and coffee, and Matthew and Gilbert were trying to turn the bed back into a couch.

"I'm telling you, all you have to do is pull up and then down." Arthur called lazily from the kitchen.

Gilbert yanked the bottom up and cursed when it his leg on its way down to its place. "Your couch is stupid and unawesome." he announced.

"It's really quite simple- if you know what to do." Arthur told him. "You have to do it gently."

The albino cursed at him again. Matthew meanwhile gently lifted the part and lowered it. The top came up, and it was a couch once more. He smiled softly at his handiwork.

"Birdie, you're awesome!" Gilbert exclaimed when he noticed. He hugged the blond and kissed his hair.

"Of course he is, he's my brother." Alfred cut in, striding across the room towards Arthur. He flashed a brilliant smile at his twin and was pleased when Matthew smiled back.

Gilbert smiled wickedly at him and Arthur. "And how was  _your_  night?"

Arthur, being either too absorbed to notice it or choosing to ignore it, wasn't fazed at all by the implication. "It was fine, and yours?" he muttered, moving to the fridge and checking for food.

"Awesome." Gilbert replied, slightly put out that Arthur hadn't reacted. "I vote that Matthew makes his epic pancakes for us this morning."

"Seconded!" Alfred immediately agreed, his eyes bright and eager at the prospect of Matthew's pancakes.

Matthew smiled again and nodded. "Sure. Arthur, do you mind? And do you have maple syrup?"

Arthur paused in his rummaging. "No, and no. Hold on, I'll run and get some. Will you be all right on your own until I return?"

Gilbert snorted. "Of course we will."

"Okay. I'll be back soon."

Arthur exited the building and looked around. There seemed to be no danger in the vicinity, so he set off confidently. The small store by his building didn't have the brand of maple syrup Matthew had suggested, so he had to go farther to the supermarket a few streets over.

He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Across the street from him, leaning up against the side of a building, were Alastair and Liam. They seemed to be waiting for something, and Arthur had a feeling it was him. Scowling, he pushed up the sleeves of his coat and marched across to them.

Alastair looked up and smirked as he approached. "Hello, brother. You haven't heeded out warning. We might have to-" The Scotsman could say no more because Arthur's slender fingers wrapped around his throat and squeezed. The smaller man's green eyes were narrowed to slits and he growled as he slammed Alastair into the wall.

"You fucking son of a bitch, how  _dare_  you try to kill Alfred?! I  _warned_  you to stay the hell away from him!" Arthur hissed at him, squeezing tighter.

"We come...from the...same...mother, you-" Alastair, despite choking, recovered enough to shove Arthur away and kick him across the sidewalk. "You arsehole!"

"Aye, what are you goin' on about? We didn't do anything to your precious boyfriend." Liam added, watching the scene before him with interest.

Arthur, winded from hitting the sidewalk, slowly got up. "What about the lamp pole, you bastards?!" He marched right back up to Alastair.

Alastair frowned in annoyance. "What lamp pole? We didn't do anything, y'ken?"

"Give me one good reason why I should trust you and your word." Arthur said flatly, giving his brothers a glare.

Liam came up behind him and grabbed him, slamming him into the wall and keeping him there, smiling cheekily the whole time. "Well, you're our  _little_  brother, and besides, we're family. We'd never lie to you."

"You've lied to me our whole lives!" Arthur spat. He felt something warm by the back of his head, and a moment later a rivulet of blood trickled down his neck and into the collar of his shirt. "Family my arse, you don't give a-"

Alastair hit him hard in the stomach, causing him to cough and double over in pain. "Don't talk that way. Remember your place. Until you join us, you're right- we don't give a shite."

Thrashing around a bit, Arthur managed to get free. He backed away from his brothers, still glaring at them. "Stay away from Alfred." he warned.

Shrugging lazily, Alastair smirked. "Sure, sure." he said dismissively. Then, noticing the small crowd starting to gather around them, he nodded to Liam and they slipped away.

Arthur groaned in frustration. He glared at the crowd and they dispersed quickly, leaving him to enter the store alone. It took him a few minutes to find the maple syrup, and once he purchased it he walked slowly home. His head and stomach ached, and he knew bruises would already be forming.

"What happened?!" Alfred noticed the blood and the slight limp the moment Arthur stepped through the door. "Arthur, are you alright?!" He took the bottle of syrup and led him to the bathroom.

"Alfred, I'm fine. This is unnecessary." Arthur protested, trying to get away.

"Unnecessary?! You're  _bleeding_!" Alfred gently probed the area the blood was coming from his with his fingers. His eyebrows knit together when he found a small lump.

"Easy there." Arthur winced when Alfred pressed down harder.

"Sorry!" Alfred immediately withdrew his hand. He bit his lip and then picked up one of the wash cloths, running it under warm water before starting to clean the blood off. He concentrated hard on keeping the touches as light and painless as he could. Then he turned Arthur around and kissed the injured area, his lips barely brushing against the skin.

"Alfred..."

"Anywhere else?" Alfred murmured.

"My stomach." Arthur admitted softly, moving his hand down to where Alastair had hit him. "But there's no blood down there."

Alfred moved back around to the front of the Englishman and lifted up his shirt to examine the injury. There was a dark bruise already forming, and Alfred winced when he saw it. He slowly sank down to its level and kissed it.

"What in the world are you doing?" Arthur asked, looking down at him curiously. He raised a hand and ran it lightly through Alfred's hair.

"Does that feel better?" Alfred ignored the question and looked up at him hopefully.

Arthur couldn't bring himself to deny that look. "Yes, it's much better." he said, patting the golden blond hair down.

"Great!" Alfred leaned into Arthur's hand for a moment and then stood, rummaging around in the cabinet. He emerged victorious with a roll of bandages and thinly wrapped Arthur's head with it.

Arthur blinked. He reached up to touch the bandages. "Alfred, I don't need these, it's not that bad a bump."

"But this way people'll know that you're hurt and they'll be careful around you." Alfred explained. "Plus, it's not that much bandaging."

"Alfred, really. I insist." Arthur continued arguing with him about it, but Alfred was being stubborn and refused to back down. Eventually, he just gave in and marched out of the bathroom, head still bandaged.

"Thanks Artie! You'll thank me later." Alfred followed him happily. Then, he suddenly stopped and turned Arthur around again. "Hey, but ya never actually told me what happened."

"I met Alastair and Liam outside the store. They claimed they weren't behind the lamp post falling, but I didn't believe them." Arthur explained, looking down.

"...And they hit you for that?" Alfred asked, eyes wide.

"No. I...may have tried to choke Alastair beforehand." Arthur admitted.

Alfred stared. "Whoa. Cuz...cuz of me? You did that because the lamp pole fell?"

"Yes."

"Nice going, Eyebrows." Gilbert, who had heard the two of them and saw the bandages around Arthur's head, came over to investigate. "Did you at least do something to him?"

"Well I  _choked_  him. Not to death, the bastard's still alive, but hopefully enough to serve as a warning to stay away from you."

Alfred smiled softly at the thought of Arthur caring so much about him, but he was worried that the other Kirklands didn't hesitate to hit their youngest brother. Then again, they  _did_  set off buildings... He gulped as he thought what exactly he had gotten himself into.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter. Sorry for the delay~

"Pancakes are ready!" Matthew called from the kitchen. He poked his head out the door and his eyes widened a bit when he saw the bandage around Arthur's head, but he didn't say anything about it. "Alfred, you're coming in here last."

The mention of pancakes distracted them from their previous thoughts. Gilbert ran into the kitchen first, with Alfred and Arthur following at a slower pace. The American let Arthur take a few pancakes before attacking the pile, depleting it by more than half on his first go.

Arthur topped his small three-pancake stack with a small amount of syrup, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries. He smiled when he took a bite. "Oh, these are absolutely heavenly. Matthew, you should open a pancake restaurant." he said, starting to eat more rapidly.

"I tell him that all the time!" Alfred added on. "He'd be famous in no time."

Matthew smiled graciously, his cheeks pinking. "I'm glad you like them so much, but I'd prefer to just keep making them for friends and family." He looked around the table. "Though we're all family here."

"R-Really?" Arthur looked at him with widened eyes. All his life, 'family' had meant cruel tricks and teasing, and only the barest hint of love trying all the Kirklands together. But with this new apparent family, love was their strongest connection.

"Of course!" Alfred smiled warmly at him, reaching forward and taking Arthur's hand in his own.

"Thank you." Arthur squeezed it briefly before turning back to his pancake stack. When he finished it he reached out to get more, but his hand stopped in midair when he saw the plate was empty. He glanced around the table and deftly stole one of Alfred's remaining pancakes.

"Hey!" Alfred watched the pancake disappear into Arthur's mouth. He licked his lips, suddenly shaking his head quickly to clear it of its current thoughts. "That was mine!"

"'Was'. Now it's mine." Arthur smirked at him.

Alfred sighed and finished his stack, guarding it carefully against any other raids. When they were all done, he gathered up all of the dishes and stuck them in the dishwasher. Matthew and Gilbert had to leave a few minutes later, the former having classes and the latter needing to go home and call his brother to check up on him.

"When do your classes start today?" Arthur asked once the two were gone. He reached up and gently probed his head, wincing when his fingers brushed against the bump there.

"Twelve, which is awesome." Alfred noticed what Arthur was doing and stepped up to him, concerned. "Arthur? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You should stay home and rest today." Alfred decided. "And I'm gonna take care of you- when I'm not at school."

"What? No, Alfred. I'm really fine. I've had worse."

" _Worse_?! C'mon, one day off won't kill you." Alfred picked him up, careful of his injuries, and carried him to bed where he tucked him in. The sheets were fresh and new, he noticed. "I'll call your work for you too."

Arthur immediately tried getting out of bed, but was stopped by Alfred's hand on his shoulder. "Alfred, let me up!"

"No. You have to rest. Just one day." Alfred pleaded, turning on his secret weapon: kicked-puppy eyes. "Consider it payback for the pancake you stole this morning."

"I..." Arthur couldn't stand against those eyes. He lowered his gaze. "One day. That's it. My phone is in the drawer."

Alfred grinned again, rummaging briefly around in the drawer until he found the phone. "It's the 'work' contact, right?"

"Yes. What else would it be?"

"I dunno, I've seen some weird stuff." Alfred pressed the call button and waited. "Hey there! I'm Alfred F. Jones, friend of Arthur Kirkland. He won't be coming in today, he's had a bit of an...accident." There was a pause. "No, no, he's not seriously injured, but he's gotta rest today. Okay? Thanks." He put the phone down and grinned again. "Funny, the guy seemed really nervous once I mentioned you. But you're all set, Artie!"

"Thank you, I suppose. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Uhh...sleep?"

"I can't." Arthur huffed. "Now that I've gotten up and eaten, I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep. I need to do something."

"Rest."

"That's not doing something, that's lying around and doing absolutely nothing. Here, get me a book."

"You're gonna read? Not yet!" Alfred glanced at the time. "I'm gonna have to go in like an hour, but until then let's try to get you to sleep." He carefully climbed into bed and pulled Arthur close against him.

Arthur blinked at the sudden warmth and closeness. He turned around so he was facing Alfred and rested his head against the American's arms. "This won't work." he muttered.

"It will." Alfred replied confidently. He allowed his breathing to deepen and even out, as if he were asleep, and used one hand to rhythmically stroke Arthur's hair.

Against his will, Arthur found himself falling asleep. He curled closer to Alfred as he finally drifted off, and the last thing he remembered was the feeling of the arms around him tightening.

* * *

When he awoke, he was alone in the room. There was a book next to him, and as he reached for it the door opened and Owen stuck his head in.

"Hello, Arthur."

"What do you want?" Arthur snapped irritably, resisting the urge to throw the book at his brother.

"Don't worry, I'm here alone. Tea?" Owen came into the room with a teapot full of it. He set it down on the table and poured Arthur a cup. "Alastair's pissed off."

"He brought it on himself. Are there any marks, at least?" Arthur accepted the cup and took a sip.

"Yes, all around his neck. But we really didn't have anything to do with that pole falling."

Arthur abruptly set the cup down. "Oh? Did they send you to try and convince me of that?"

"No. Arthur, they don't know I'm here." Owen sighed. "If you don't believe that, then fine. But Alastair just might try to do something to him now. He'll be here soon, by the way. His classes just finished."

"H-How do you know that?!" Arthur had to restrain himself from lunging at the brunet.

"He's a person of interest." Owen shrugged. "Just watch out. Good bye." With a final wave, he vanished through the doorway.

Not fifteen minutes later, Alfred arrived. He went straight over to the bedroom, where he found Arthur reading. "Hey there." He approached the bed, but stopped when he noticed the tea. "You got up." he accused.

"I did not. Owen was here."

"Here? As in  _here_  here?! Are you okay?" Alfred rushed over and gently took the book from his hands before checking him over.

Arthur tried, unsuccessfully, to ward off his hands. "I'm fine, Alfred. They won't do much worse to me than this. But you have to look out for yourself."

"I'm being careful. Nothing else has happened since the pole fell." Alfred said, and then sighed. "This is frustrating. I dunno why they hate me so much, and I wish they'd just leave us alone. Ya said you didn't want anything to do with them, so why won't they let you be?"

"Because they're assholes." Arthur replied simply.

"That doesn't- that's not right." Alfred muttered. He fell silent and played gently with Arthur's hands. He eventually pushed Arthur over to the side and got into bed next to him. "We can go away." he said quietly after a moment. "The four of us. Far away from here, where they can't hurt us."

"Running away isn't the answer. Besides, you and Matthew have school, and Gilbert has his own life here."

"Me and Mattie could transfer somewhere! And Gilbert'll be fine, he wants to be safe with Mattie too." Alfred talked excitedly and urgently, waving his arms a bit to emphasize his points.

"Alfred, love, it wouldn't work. They'd find us." Arthur winced as one of the arms came close to his head and grabbed it, holding the limb down. "Watch where you're swinging those."

"Sorry, are you okay?" Alfred stopped moving and looked at him with concern. "How do you feel?"

"Admittedly better after the rest."

"See? I told you!" Alfred hopped out of bed. "I'm gonna get you some ice for that, okay? And are ya hungry? We still have some of that pizza."

Arthur nodded and Alfred left. The Englishman stared up at the ceiling, thinking. Leaving the area wasn't that bad of an idea, but he couldn't ask Alfred, much less Matthew and Gilbert, of that. And there was no guarantee that his brothers would even let them go. Unless...

There was the Kirkland winter estate. The mansion and grounds were located in the forest outside the city and had stood empty for years. For some odd reason Alastair, Liam, and Owen couldn't set foot there. Arthur had no problems entering, and he thought of it as his little safe haven. But he hadn't visited in a long time.

"Here ya go!" Alfred reentered the room and placed a tray down onto the bed on Arthur's lap. On the tray was a plate with a slice of pizza, a glass of orange juice, and an ice pack. "Dinner in bed!"

"You should eat as well." Arthur said, moving the ice pack from the tray to his stomach.

"Don't worry, I ate at school." Alfred grinned as he got into bed with Arthur. "How are your hips?" he suddenly asked.

Arthur blinked and set down the pizza, wiggling his hips under the covers a bit. Alfred's eyes slid to the movements, and he watched them hungrily. Arthur whacked him. "Stop that! They do hurt a bit, but that's not surprising. Why are you asking?"

"Nah, it's just mine hurt a bit too, and I was walkin' funny all day and I wondered if you felt it too."

Arthur rolled his eyes at him and finished his food. When he was done Alfred moved the tray to the table and tossed the ice pack after it. Arthur shivered when he touched the numb area where it lay. Alfred noticed and pulled him closer, placing a hand over the spot to warm it up with his body heat. He was careful not to press down on the bruise and hurt Arthur more.

"Alfred..." Arthur said softly.

"Yeah?"

"I...I know somewhere we could possibly move to. The four of us."

"Really?" Alfred brightened. "Where is it?"

"My family's winter estate. It's close by here, in the forests, but my brothers never go there. They can't even step foot on the property. We should be safe."

"Wait, they can't go on the property? Why?"

"I'm assuming it's some sort of curse or ward against them. We should have no problems getting through."

"...Curse? Like magic and stuff?" Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, now don't knock it." Arthur told him firmly.

Alfred snickered, but didn't say anything else on the subject. "I'll ask Mattie what he thinks, kay? But I think he'll agree. We're not moving far, right?"

"No, just outside the city. There's a garage with a few cars on the property, so commute shouldn't be an issue."

"Cool! How many? What kind?!"

"You'll see, Alfred. Now come on, I'm tired of lying around all day. Let's go somewhere."

"Are you sure?" Alfred frowned, biting his lip. "Your head-"

"Is feeling much better." Arthur interjected. "We can go to the riverside park and get a hot dog from that vendor."

Alfred hesitated, but before he could answer, his cell phone rang. He smiled apologetically at Arthur and left the room to answer it. When he saw it was Matthew he worried, but it wasn't bad news.

"Anything important?" Arthur asked when he reentered.

"It was Mattie. Apparently we've been booked for a shitload of other concerts in the next few weeks." Alfred replied excitedly. Those concerts paid well, and he loved playing and hearing people cheering for him. It always made him happy when they enjoyed listening to his music.

"That's-" Well, 'amazing' didn't sound good, and 'good' fell flat as well. "I'm happy for you." Arthur said instead, sincerity present and clear in his voice.

"Thanks, man! Yeah, this is awesome!" Alfred fist pumped triumphantly, and Arthur wasn't sure his smile could get any broader.

"When's your next show?"

"Tomorrow! Now I gotta-" Alfred suddenly faltered, and his smile faded. "I gotta...go...practice soon." he finished quietly, looking at the ground.

"You should go then." Arthur stood and stepped over to him, resting a hand on his arm. "We can go out another time. I have some things I should finish too."

There was a pained look on Alfred's face, but he nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Will you come to any of the shows?"

"I'll do my best to come."

Alfred leaned down and kissed him, slipping his tongue into Arthur's mouth. He played around with Arthur's tongue and then withdrew. "I know. Don't let 'em scare ya." he said, meaning the other Kirklands. "Oh, and I'll ask Mattie about moving. See ya~!"

When he left, Arthur pulled off the bandage and tossed it aside. He pulled on a robe and settled by his desk, turning on his laptop and sipping at the cold tea Owen had left while he waited for it to boot up. When it was ready, he typed up a short story for his column about a unicorn and his three friends, and the three asshole hunters who wouldn't leave them alone. He himself was the unicorn, Alfred, Matthew, and Gilbert the friends. His brothers were the hunters.

He used the story to make biting remarks about the hunters and just exactly how much of assholes they were. And the best part was that they probably wouldn't even figure it out. Arthur had used writing and poetry numerous times for such purposes, and the messages had flown right over their heads. The rest of the city seemed to know what Arthur's column was really sometimes used for, but they kept quiet about it and snickered behind closed doors.

He finished the story and sent it off to the owner of the company to publish in the next issue, and then started cleaning. He dusted all of his shelves, vacuumed the living room and kitchen, and got out some boxes from his basement storage unit so he could start packing up his books. A headache came on and got progressively worse, but Arthur worked until it was absolutely unbearable. At that point he took a painkiller and passed out on his bed until morning.

He woke early and dressed, catching an early cab out across the river. He wanted to take a look at the house and make sure that he could still get onto the property, and to make sure that nothing was at the point of collapse. He asked the cab driver to wait at the gates and entered.

The big iron gates looked imposing, but that was their purpose. They swung open easily beneath Arthur's touch. There was a fair bit of forest between them and the house, and the Englishman swiftly walked through it. When he had been younger, his brothers had persuaded him that there were monsters and evil fairies in the forest that loved to prey on the youngest children of a family. For the longest time, Arthur had believed them, and even now the lingering traces of his fear were present in his body.

Arthur's breath caught as he took in the sight of the mansion. The centuries-old house was huge, made of alternating light and dark stone. It even had two towers, a fact Arthur was sure would send Alfred into fits of excitement. The house had its own furnace and the late Mr. Kirkland had installed solar panels, so heating and electricity weren't taken from the city providers. It saved them money, and Arthur was still pretty sure he knew how to operate them both.

There should have been a key under a large ornate flower pot by the door, and Arthur was pleased to see it after he heaved up the piece of metal. There was a general hush descended over the house, and he had a strange sense that it should be kept for as long as possible.

"Good luck with that." he told the house quietly. "You have no idea what's coming to you." With Gilbert and Alfred around, the peace and quiet would never last long. But perhaps it was high time that it was broken.

Arthur's eyes were drawn to the wall of old photographs in the entrance hall. He stepped closer, and his mood darkened when he saw that some of them were of his brothers. He promptly took all of those down, and then proceeded to go through the house, removing anything that reminded him of them from every room. He left all the items on the floor for now, and when he came back another time he would either put it all in a box, to be left forgotten in the basement, or he'd burn it.

Feeling that everything was in order, he left three hours after he'd come. The cabdriver was waiting by the gate, and closer inspection showed that the man had fallen asleep. Arthur woke him and made sure to give him a large tip when he was dropped off at his apartment. He was walking up the steps to his floor (he never used the elevator- the steps were his daily exercise) when his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Arthur, where were you? I came by this morning before classes, and you were gone."

"I was taking a look at the house, Alfred. Just making sure that everything was in order and ready."

"Oh. All right. And is it ready?"

"Yes, it's in fine condition. Are you at school now?"

"Yeah. The concert's at 7 tonight, if you wanna come. Or, if you come early, we'll be there at like 6, then we can- Shit, gotta go, teach spotted me. See ya!" The line went dead.

Arthur rolled his eyes and pocketed the phone. He didn't see why he wouldn't be able to make the concert that night. When he got into his house he went straight to the bathroom to take a shower, and swore when he saw a large hickey on the side of his neck, below his left ear. He'd been walking around with that on show?! He made sure to put on a turtleneck to hide the mark. He went out to retrieve more boxes, and on the way back he made another call.

"Hai?"

"Yes, hello Kiku. Did you and Elizaveta gather any more information?" Arthur asked.

"Oh hello Arthur-san. Yes, we have been successful. We haven't found-"

"Not here, Kiku." Arthur interrupted. "Are you or her able to meet up today? At the park, perhaps?"

There was a quiet murmuring on the other end of the line, as if the Japanese man was holding his hand over the mouthpiece and talking to someone. "Hai, we are both available at 5. We will be waiting in the French café on the north side of the park."

"Thank you. I'll see you then." Arthur ended the call and only then remembered that the French café in question was the one Kiku had told him belonged to Francis.

Arthur cursed, but then paused. If Francis was in, he could always use the Frenchman to get more information.

Until the time came that he had to go meet up with his spies, Arthur packed more of his books. By the time he had to leave, he had managed to pack more than half of his library, a feat he was extremely proud of.

As he approached the café, he could indeed see the man from the picture Kiku had given him inside, weaving in and out of the tables. Kiku and Elizaveta were waiting at a table right next to the window. Arthur entered and walked over to them bowing slightly to Kiku and shaking Elizaveta's hand before sitting down.

"Hey Arthur, how are you?" Elizaveta asked, smiling at him.

"I'm fine." Arthur replied, not quite trusting that smile. But she hadn't asked anything too-

"And your boyfriend? Have you gotten any action yet?" the Hungarian woman continued.

\- prying yet. Arthur turned red and coughed. "He's fine as well, for now. But that's why I need your information. What do you have?"

Francis came over before either of them could answer. "Bonjour, what can I get you, monsieur?" He addressed Arthur.

Arthur turned and glared at him. "Tea." he said shortly. "And English label, if you have them."

"A-Ah." Francis's eyes widened with recognition. "You are Alastair's brother, non?" he asked.

"Yes."

"In that case, everything for you and your guest is free of charge." Francis bowed gracefully, a charming smile on his face.

Arthur wasn't affected. "Don't try flattery with me, frog. It won't work."

The smile on Francis's face grew. "Not so easy as your frère, hmm?"

"Just get the blasted tea." Arthur snapped at him, turning his attention back to Elizaveta and Kiku and effectively ignoring him.

Kiku waited for Francis to depart before speaking again. "We haven't been able to find out the exact location of your brother's living area, but we have isolated it to one of three buildings." he said. "One of which is your own."

"Pardon?" Arthur blinked. "You mean to say they've been my neighbours this whole bloody time?!"

"Lower your voice please, Arthur-san."

"It's not likely that they would be in your building, Arthur." Elizaveta cut in. "It's an interesting ploy, but too dangerous for them. Didn't the police do a complete sweep of the building a few months back, right after the first bridge fell?"

"Yes." Arthur didn't like recalling that time. All of his things had been searched through, and his neighbours had been pissed off at him for the violation of their privacy as well.

Elizaveta and Kiku told him the addresses of the other two possible buildings. One was on the outskirts of the city, in one of the more questionable areas while the other was in the fancy rich district. The two trackers had to get back to the newspaper office after that, so Arthur was left alone by the time Francis came by with his tea.

"All alone now, mon ami?" the Frenchman asked sympathetically.

"I'm not your friend." Arthur shot back. "And speak to me in English or not at all."

Francis sighed. "Your brother is so much more accommodating."

"Sit." Arthur told him.

"Pardon?" Francis raised an eyebrow, a smirk coming to his face again.

"Sit down." Arthur repeated. "It's not that busy in here, you can spare a few minutes. I need to talk with you."

"Ohonhon,  _need_  to?" Francis's smile grew and he leisurely slid into the seat in a manner that showed off his fit body.

Arthur looked pointedly at his tea. "If it were up to me I would never associate with frogs, but unfortunately it's necessary."

Francis's gaze turned sharp with annoyance. "Perhaps I should not stay, then? Since you have such an attitude?" He made as if to rise.

"No!" Arthur's hand shot out to stop him, and then quickly retracted. "I need to talk with you. It's important."

Francis deliberated for a moment before relaxing into the seat. "Go on, then. I don't have much time to waste."

"Why do you stay with Alastair?"

"For amour." Francis replied easily. "Why do you wish to know?"

"Do you know where he lives?" Arthur ignored the question asked to him.

"Non, we go to a different location every night. What does it matter? Do you want in on it?"

"Not even the faintest idea?" Arthur pressed.

Francis stood. "Monsieur Kirkland, tell me why you are asking such questions, or I will leave."

"Fine." Arthur gritted his teeth. "Sit, frog."

Francis didn't move.

"Sit down,  _please_." Arthur practically hissed at him. "I'll tell you what you want to know."

"Bien sûr." Francis took his seat. "So why are you asking me about Alastair?"

"You cannot tell him about this, understood?"

"Why?"

" _Understood_? It's important that you don't."

Francis searched Arthur's face and eyes and finally nodded. "Oui, I understand. It will stay a secret."

"Good." Arthur relaxed slightly. "You French put a lot of weight on love, no? I need Alastair's location so I can turn him in and protect my boyfriend. Alastair's already threatened us."

"That is sweet...but by handing over information like that I lose my own lover in the process. Why should your amour be held above my own?" Francis asked, leaning forward.

Arthur had to hold back from slamming his hands down onto the table. "Damn it Francis, there are lives at stake here! Not only Alfred, but Matthew and Gilbert as well!"

"Oh? Gilbert? Your lover is the pianist Alfred?"

"Yes. You can visit Alastair in prison if you must, or better yet find another partner. Alastair rotates between bedmates every few weeks, if not days. You won't last too much longer."

"Au contraire. Alastair said he will stop these rotations. He has found true amour with me. I do not know where he resides, as I have said before we switch locations every night."

Arthur stood abruptly and slapped down a bill. "This stays between us. Thank you so  _very_  much for your help." he said sarcastically, and then left.

He walked quickly through the park, his steps brisk and agitated. He muttered to himself as he walked, cursing useless frogs and their whole bloody existence all the way to the deepest pits of Hell. He was so absorbed in that that he didn't notice the black car pulling up in front of him until he nearly tripped over it.

"Oh  _God_  no." he muttered, turning swiftly on his heel and walking in the other direction.

"Arthur!" Liam called from behind him, running to catch up. "Won't you join us?" He slung an arm across Arthur's shoulders and yanked him around.

"Oi, watch it!" Arthur snapped, pain flashing through his head when Liam's arm brushed against the bruise. "No, I will not join you!"

His protests were ignored, and Arthur was shoved into the back of the car. Alastair was sitting leisurely in the back, his legs crossed. Arthur was pleased to see the black and blue marks on his neck.

"Arthur." Alastair said shortly, by way of greeting. His trademark smirk was on his face, but his eyes were harder and colder than before.

"Bastard." Arthur shot back. "Let me out, I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Yes you are. You don't really have a choice." Alastair informed him.

Arthur shot him a glare and moved toward the front. "Owen, stop this car so I can get out." he ordered.

"Keep driving, Owen." Alastair immediately countered.

" _Owen stop the bloody car!_ " Arthur yelled. When nothing happened, he growled in frustration and threw open the door.

Owen braked abruptly and Arthur used the opportunity to jump out. He rolled on landing and then ran. He pushed himself as fast as he could and refused to look back. He heard Alastair's shout behind him, but there was no chase.

When he finally had to stop for breath, he was a good distance away. There was no sign of the black car. He took a few moments to steady his breathing, leaning against the side of a random store. Some passerby gave him odd stares, but he ignored them. His phone suddenly buzzed and he groaned when he saw the caller ID.

"What is it, Owen?" he asked. "I'm not going back."

"Keep Alfred out of the theatre tonight." Owen told him, and the line went dead.

Arthur's heart stopped for a second, and he took off running again. Alfred had a concert tonight. It was most likely at the same theatre as all the previous ones, so Arthur went there first. It was empty.

"Alfred!" Arthur pounded lightly on the door to Alfred and Matthew's apartment, forgoing all politeness in favour of making sure Alfred was alive and well. If the Arthur from a few months ago were to see him now, he would have laughed. Arthur never went to such lengths for another person. (Even if it did have something to do with his brothers). But Alfred had really changed everything. "Alfred, are you there?!"

There was the sound of movement in the apartment and the door opened to reveal a confused-looking Matthew. "Arthur? What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Matthew. Where's Alfred?"

"He went out to buy some water and granola bars for before and after the concert." The blond checked his watch. "And now we'll be late to arrive." He sighed and stood aside so Arthur could enter.

"Good. You can't go tonight." Arthur said, settling down on the couch to wait.

Matthew frowned. "Not go? Why? Arthur, we can't really do that."

"I'll explain when Alfred gets here. I don't feel like repeating it twice." Arthur's gaze shifted from random spots in the room to the door every few seconds, and his foot tapped a nervous rhythm into the floor.

"He should be home soon." Matthew said, shooting him an exasperated look.

The door opened a few minutes later to reveal Alfred with a few shopping bags. The pianist seemed surprised at first to see Arthur on his couch, but he recovered quickly and grinned.

"Hey Artie, what are ya doing here? Wanna come to the concert with us?" he asked, dropping the bags onto the table and going over to sit next to Arthur.

"No. Matthew, come in now please." Arthur called and waited until Matthew got settled before he proceeded. "You cannot go near the theatre tonight."

"What?! Why?" Alfred leaned away from him. "Dude, we have a concert tonight!"

"Owen called me. He said to keep you out of the theatre tonight. I don't know what they're planning to do, but it can't be good."

"Owen? As in your brother Owen? Arthur, how do you know you can trust him?" Matthew looked skeptical.

"I don't know if I can fully, but he was always nicest to me. And I'm not going to be taking any warnings lightly." Arthur replied stubbornly.

"But Artie, how do you  _know_?"

"Bloody- Here, I'll call him." Arthur said, exasperated. He pulled out his phone and called his brother, switching the device to speaker. "Both of you, quiet."

"Hello? Arthur?" Owen's voice came over the speaker.

"Yes. Owen, I need to know, why did you warn me about the theatre? What are you planning?"

Owen sighed. "Arthur, I don't have too much time to talk now."

"Just tell me! It'll take two minutes!"

"I don't hate you, Arthur. I want you at least to be happy. If this Alfred of yours makes you happy, then you should have a chance. We're all lost in grief and hatred, and in Liam's case confusion."

"You're not lost, Owen." Arthur said softly. While he still didn't find out what he wanted to know, he didn't think any of his brothers had ever opened up to him this much; it was a moment to be cherished. "Why are you even with them?"

"Wes, Arthur! Because of Wes. The police and firefighters- they're supposed to protect people- protect Wesley. And they let Wes die."

"Owen-"

"I have to go. Stay away from the theatre. Good bye, Arthur." Owen interrupted and ended the call.

Arthur slid the phone shut in the silence that followed. Alfred suddenly shifted closer to him and put his arm around the Englishman's shoulders. Arthur leaned into him and sighed softly, enjoying the warmth coming to him.

"Hey Artie? Who was Wes?" Alfred asked after a moment, his voice soft and quiet next to Arthur's ear.

"Owen's lover. Died in a city accident about five years back. Owen was never really the same after it." Arthur replied.

"Oh...I'm sorry. I'm sure Wes was an awesome girl." Alfred said, a bit awkwardly.

"I actually don't know whether Wes was male or female. I never got close enough to determine which it was. I only ever saw the two of them from a distance."

"Wouldn't ya be able to tell from like, the boobs and stuff?"

"Some girls have pretty flat chests." Arthur said, and then leaned in some more. "Did you ask Matthew about the moving?"

"Oh right, right. Hey Mattie, what do ya say about moving to Arthur's winter mansion outside the city?" Alfred called over.

"Idiot." Arthur muttered under his breath, and Alfred just grinned in response.

"Move?" Matthew looked surprised. "But why?"

"For safety." Arthur jumped in. "My brothers can't reach us there. The house is right outside the city, in the forest by the cliffs. I'd like for you, Alfred, and Gilbert to go there with me." he said.

"I-I'd have to talk to Gilbert about it..." Matthew said hesitantly. "But it doesn't sound like a bad idea. You said it was right outside the city, yeah?"

"Yes."

"Well-"

Matthew was suddenly interrupted as a loud explosion ripped through the city. The three of them froze in shock. Then, Alfred rushed over to the window, searching for the source. When he found it, his eyes widened and his face paled.

"M-Mattie?" he asked hoarsely, motioning for his twin to join him.

"What is it?" Matthew didn't move; he looked scared to budge even a bit to see what his brother had discovered.

"Come here!" Alfred hissed, his motions getting rougher and more disjointed. "That can't be where the theatre is, can it?" he asked, not bothering to wait for Matthew to come over.

At those words Arthur shot up and stalked over to him, Matthew finally getting up and hot on his heels. " _No!_ " he snapped. "They  _wouldn't!_ "

But Matthew was looking at the bright orange glow and shaking his head. "It is." he said quietly. "If Alfred hadn't rushed out last-minute to the store, we'd have been there."

"So that's what Owen meant." Alfred mused. He shot a pained look at Arthur. "Artie-"

"I think Gilbert and I will be moving with you." Matthew cut in lowly. His eyes never strayed from the flames of the explosion. "I don't see him being too averse to the notion."

Arthur let out a quiet sigh of relief. "We can move whenever you're ready. The house is fully furnished; it just needs a small dusting. It shouldn't take more than a week to clean."

"Can we bring our own stuff?" Matthew finally pulled away from the window to cast a glance over the apartment.

"Yes, bring anything you'd like." Arthur said quickly. Now that the two of them had agreed to moving, he wanted to actually move as soon as possible.

Alfred looked between his twin and his lover eagerly. "If we get our stuff moved like tomorrow, then we can go by the weekend." He was excited as well. Moving in with Arthur- and Matthew and Gilbert- seemed like a pretty sweet deal, and Arthur promised it was safe. It would be a relief to go about his business without constantly looking over his shoulder for murderous British people, and while the new commute could be a pain in the ass, he would get used to it.

Arthur frowned. "The weekend?"

"Artie, we need to prepare. Move our shit, put the apartment up for sale, tell Gilbert." The last past was directed at Matthew, who took the hint and left to call his boyfriend. Once he was gone, Alfred hugged Arthur tightly and kissed him. "It'll all be okay. Everything will work out."

Arthur melted into the embrace, allowing Alfred's words and touch to chase away some of his worries. "I hope it does."

"Hey, but you've got Owen kinda lookin' out for us, right?"

"I don't know exactly how much I can trust him. Plus, one day, his warnings might not be enough." Arthur said frustratedly.

"Don't worry about that now." Alfred told him, squeezing tighter for a moment. "Is the house big?" he asked, hoping to distract Arthur from his current thoughts.

"Yes. We could each have our own room and invite a guest and there would still be plenty of rooms left over. The whole thing looks somewhat like a castle."

"Whoa, cool! It sounds really awesome, Artie." They stood there in silence, holding one another, until Matthew came back.

"Gil said he wouldn't mind it. Says he's tired of hearing about your 'unawesome brothers trying to do us in', as he put it." Matthew told them. "He's good for moving by the weekend."

"Wanna stay here tonight?" Alfred asked, finally letting go of Arthur. "Since we don't have a concert or anything to do anymore."

"May I?"

"Yes, we wouldn't have a problem with that." Matthew sent a sideways glance at Alfred. "Though you might have a tight fit; Alfred's bed is a single-person bed."

"We'll make it work." Alfred turned to the kitchen and clapped his hands. "Did ya eat before coming here?"

"Yes, I grabbed a bite on the way."

"Okay, cool." Alfred looked to his twin. "Mattie, we're gonna go to bed, okay? You should go soon too."

"I will." Matthew replied distractedly, his eyes back to watching the distant flames. The faint flickering orange reflected harshly in the soft purple of his irises and looked unnatural and wrong.

Alfred watched him worriedly. He could tell that even though Matthew looked fine, the Canadian was shaken up. "Hey Mattie? Don't go watching the news now, kay?" Whenever something like this had happened before, Matthew would stay up, sometimes late into the night, watching the news about it. He was always even more shaky the following day.

Matthew gave them a wan smile but then resolutely turned away from the window and to his desk, opening one of his textbooks and starting to scribble.

"Don't stay up too late." Alfred told him quietly. But at least the work would distract him from the going-ons outside.

By the time Alfred entered the room Arthur was already in bed, waiting. The American smiled at him and climbed in next to him. Arthur didn't smile back. Alfred sighed and took him into his arms, pulling the smaller man close. His hands splayed out across Arthur's sides and he rubbed them soothingly.

"I'm gonna skip school tomorrow and start packing." he said softly. "Mattie too."

Arthur nodded against him.

"It'll be okay, I'm telling you." Alfred continued, his hands pressing a bit harder into Arthur's sides and continuing their circular motions.

"I hope you're right."

* * *

The days to the weekend flew by in a flurry of packing and moving. Arthur went out to the house a few more times, once on his own to clean up some more, and two times with his, Alfred's, Matthew's, and Gilbert's things. The three of them weren't allowed to go see the house yet because Arthur wanted it to be a complete surprise.

The Englishman had the movers help him move all the boxes inside and set up four bedrooms. He knew that two of them most likely wouldn't be used, but it didn't hurt to be prepared. Under his care and watchful eye, the kitchen, two bathrooms, the living room, and a small dining room were also made fit for living. He also made sure to remove any and all traces of his brothers from the house, banishing anything having to do with them to a dark corner of the basement.

Of his actual brothers there was no sign. After blowing up the theatre they seemed to have vanished. There hadn't been any sightings or crimes all week. Arthur was worried about that. He felt as though they were planning something, but he didn't know what and knew it wouldn't be good.

He tried not to think about it, however, and put all of his energy towards moving and Alfred. Since Alfred wasn't allowed to accompany him to the estate, Arthur slept at his and Matthew's apartment all that week. He'd put his own apartment up for sale early on, and it was sold by Thursday. It snowed on Friday and Arthur was shivering when he stepped into Alfred's nearly empty apartment. All that was left were the two mattresses the trio (and more often than not quartet, as Gilbert came by almost every night) slept on and the appliances.

"Hey Artie!" Alfred bounced over to him and wrapped him in a massive hug. "Holy shit, you're freezing!"

"Yes, well it  _is_  snowing outside." Arthur replied, shifting closer to Alfred and his warmth.

"I know what'll warm ya up!" Alfred let him go, wincing when the wet clothes peeled away from his own. "Change!" he called as he dashed off to the kitchen.

Arthur walked over to his bag for a fresh change of clothes and hung his wet ones in the bathroom. He was in the middle of pulling on a fresh shirt when he heard the door slam shut. He jumped; the sound was amplified in the empty apartment.

"Alfred?"

Sticking his head out the door of the bedroom, he was met with an empty living room. He sighed and plopped down on the mattress. Both mattresses were in the living room, and the bedrooms were used for changing and alone time. If any of them wanted to have sex with their partner, the party in question would just drag their mattress to one of the other rooms. On most nights, the living room ended up empty. Tonight was no exception. It was getting late, and Matthew and Gilbert had already retired.

He didn't have to wait there long because about ten minutes later Alfred stepped into the room, dripping wet and holding a to-go cup of hot chocolate in each hand.

"It's like a fucking blizzard out there." he commented.

"You went out there?!" Arthur stared at him.

"Yup!" Alfred handed the cups to him and stripped. "Now I'm freezing though."

"You are an idiot. You went out there to get hot chocolate for me to warm me up, and now you're cold." Arthur muttered. "Bloody moronic."

Alfred grinned and changed into warmer clothes before plopping down next to him. "But now we both have hot chocolate and we can warm each other up." he said brightly, snuggling close to Arthur and taking back one of the cups.

Arthur curled deeper into his side and took a sip. "Is this...dark chocolate?"

"Yeah. I know you don't really like milk chocolate cuz you say it's too sweet. So I got you dark hot chocolate!"

"You are too much." Arthur muttered.

"Nah, I'm just enough for you." Alfred set their cups down on the floor and then leaned down to kiss Arthur softly. He moved their positions so he was hovering over the Englishman, not once breaking the kiss. When he finally had to pull away for air he smiled down at Arthur and moved them again so they were spooning.

"Not tonight?" Arthur asked, entangling his legs with Alfred's.

"I just wanna cuddle tonight. We can have awesome victory sex tomorrow night in the house." Alfred replied, snuggling closer.

Arthur grunted slightly as part of his air supply was cut off by the arms around him, but Alfred gave off a lot of warmth so he didn't mind too much. He got as comfortable as he could and settled down. Only to be jostled out of place as Alfred exclaimed in surprise and almost threw him off the mattress as he reached across to get the cups.

"The hot chocolate! Drink Artie, before it gets cold!"

"Give it here, then." Arthur held out a hand for his cup, sighing. Now Alfred wasn't going to go back to being cuddly until they'd both finished their chocolate. The American was very serious about such matters.

After Alfred made sure that Arthur had drank all of the chocolate, they went back to curling together under the covers. Arthur relaxed into Alfred's arms and found himself drifting off.

"Alfred..." he murmured. "I'm going to leave early tomorrow. I'll be waiting for the three of you by the cliffs."

"Okay. Good night, Arthur. I love you." Alfred whispered to him.

"I love you as well." Arthur replied, promptly falling asleep right after.

He got up at the crack of dawn the next morning, and with some difficulty slipped from Alfred's arms. Upon sudden impulse, he pressed a kiss to the pianist's forehead. As he pulled away Alfred cracked his eyes open and leaned up to capture Arthur's lips with his own.

"Good bye, Alfred. I'll see you later." Arthur said quietly once they broke apart. He dressed and grabbed all his things, leaving without eating any breakfast.

Because of the snow that had fallen the previous night- and a good foot had built up- there weren't that many people out and about, most of them preferring to stay inside where it was warm. Arthur made good time and arrived at the house before ten. He had to walk since some of the roads were still snowed in, but he didn't mind. He gave some finishing touches to the house and left to the cliffside. Alfred, Matthew, and Gilbert were due to leave at eleven, so they would be coming soon.

After a few moments, he spotted three figures walking down the pedestrian way in the middle of the bridge. He thought it was them, and his thoughts were confirmed when a single ray of sunshine burst through the low, heavy clouds covering the sky and illuminated Alfred's golden hair.

A twig snapped behind him, and he turned around to come face to face with Alastair. The Scotsman's gaze was calm and unreadable, and the marks around his neck were fading. Liam was behind him, but Owen was nowhere in sight.

"What are you doing here?" Arthur hissed, a bad feeling coming to his stomach.

"You're leaving us." Liam said, his expression mournful. "We wanted to say good bye."

"Bullshit." Arthur shot back. "Why are you here?"

Alastair didn't reply, instead coming to stand beside Arthur, looking out across the river. Arthur sidestepped away from him, but he knew there was nothing he could do to get them to leave. So the three of them waited in silence, watching the bridge.

* * *

Alfred wouldn't stop talking the entire way. He talked excitedly about their futures, how they would finally be safe, and what he thought the new house would look like.

"-Artie already told me it looks like a castle, isn't that awesome?! Do you guys think there's a moat? I hope there is, that would be so cool-"

"So Eyebrows hasn't shown it to you yet?" Gilbert asked, cutting across him.

"No, he wants it to be a surprise." Alfred muttered with a pout. He kicked at a patch of snow and watched it fly over the railing of the bridge into the river.

Gilbert snickered at him, and while Matthew never liked to see his brother sad and pouty, he was glad for the quiet that came with it. They walked along in silence. And there really was silence because the snow plows hadn't cleared the bridge yet so no one was out on it except the three of them.

"Oh man, this is gonna be epic!" Alfred finally couldn't stand the stillness anymore, so he started chattering again. "We're gonna be like heroes living there!"

His voice echoed in the silent air around them, masking Gilbert and Matthew's groans at the loss of quiet. But they walked along not speaking, onwards to where Arthur was waiting.

That was when the bridge collapsed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter. It's a bit of an epilogue.

There were no explosions, just a quiet rumble that sent the whole structure crumbling into the water, taking the three small figures along with it. Arthur watched unblinkingly, his face unchanging. He felt his whole world come crashing down along with the bridge, but couldn't bring himself to move.

Alfred was- Alfred was...gone.

He slowly walked forward to the edge of the cliff. Inside, his heart was breaking in two, but he gave no sign of it. He could slowly feel tears gathering in his eyes, but they refused to fall. His breathing picked up in speed and became a little more ragged, but that was the only physical change he showed.

 _Alfred, Alfred, ALFRED!_  His mind was a whirl of senseless thoughts.  _He could have survived, he's strong enough. He could have jumped away from the wreckage, and swam somewhere. There's got to be something, he has to be alive-_

But deep in his heart, Arthur knew that Alfred was dead. There was no way anyone could survive a crash like that. He'd heard of twin connections and true love connections, and he could feel a great big hole of nothingness taking the place that Alfred had occupied. His eyes glazed over, but he kept staring fixedly at the river.

Alastair came up to stand beside him. "That worked out well. Better than I expected, eh Liam?" he asked.

"Alfred..." Arthur whispered, his voice coming out hoarse and broken.

The Scotsman heard him and tilted his head to the side. "Oh, was your boyfriend on there when it came down?"

Arthur slowly tilted his head to look at his brother with empty eyes.

Alastair looked back with an equally emotionless stare. "Pity."

Something snapped inside of Arthur. His face still blank, he stepped back and to the side. His arms seemed to move of their own accord as he placed them firmly against Alastair's chest and pushed.

Alastair didn't protest at all. "When one twin falls, so must the other." he said softly to Arthur before he was sent over the edge of the cliff. He meant the bridges, both of which were gone. His body hit the waters below, and Alastair Kirkland was dead.

Liam was gone when Arthur turned around, but there was a knife stuck in the grass by his feet with the Irish brother's name engraved into the hilt. The Englishman sank down to his knees and sobbed, the tears finally escaping down his cheeks. His hand came to rest on the knife. A final present from his brothers. Arthur's fingers curled around the hilt and he pulled it free.

* * *

A faint outline of Alfred shimmered into existence by the side of the road, about a mile away from where Arthur was. The forms of Gilbert and Matthew appeared a few seconds later.

"Ughh, what happened?" Alfred moaned, wincing and rubbing at his eyes. He opened them, saw that he was transparent, and jumped back with a loud screech.

"We- I think we died." Matthew said quietly, investigating his body. All he remembered was a rumble, falling, brief pain, and then nothing.

" _What?!_  No, that's totally unawesome, it can't be!" Gilbert looked around wildly and deflated when his eyes fell on the ruins of the bridge.

Alfred stared at the same spot for a moment. "NO! FUCK, why?! Oh God,  _Arthur!_ " he cursed, becoming more tangible as he got angrier.

"Alfred, calm down." Matthew pleaded.

"NO I WILL NOT CALM DOWN! Arthur worked so hard for this- We were so fucking close! Then we jut had to go and- FUCK!" Alfred uttered a short scream of frustration and raked a hand roughly through his hair.

"Alfred!" Matthew roughly grabbed onto his shoulders and shook him. "Look, at least you're a ghost now! You can go to him and still be with him!"

"But what if he can't  _see_  me?!"

"You're smart and you love him. And he loves you. You'll figure something out." Matthew told him soothingly. He let go of Alfred as he and Gilbert suddenly started glowing. They looked at each other and sidestepped closer to each other, joining their hands together.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Alfred jumped back again with another squeak. "What's going on with you two?!"

"I think we're moving on..." Matthew mused.

"What?! No! You guys can't just leave me here!" Alfred ran closer to them, but was afraid to actually touch them. "Why are you guys moving on and not me?!"

Gilbert snickered at him as he pulled Matthew closer. "You're not awesome enough to move on.

Matthew rolled his eyes at the albino. "I think it's because we're together." he said gently.

"So basically you'll have to wait until Eyebrows dies before you can." Gilbert finished. He pulled Matthew flush against his chest, but Matthew slipped out of his arms and approached Alfred.

"Al...you have to go find him." he said quietly to his twin. "He probably saw the whole thing, and he can't be in good shape now." Matthew hugged him tightly.

"Mattie..." Alfred choked on his words and held his brother tightly against him. "I'm gonna miss you so much." he managed to get out.

"Me too." Matthew let go and stepped away, back to Gilbert's side. "We'll try to visit if we can, but I don't know what will happen from here."

"Alfred?" Gilbert spoke up, throwing a pained glance over his shoulder at the river. "If Arthur's up to it, can- can you ask him to maybe check on my brother?"

"Ludwig? Yeah, I'll ask him." Alfred smiled faintly at the two of them. "I'm glad you at least have each other. It's gonna be strange without ya. I'll see you in a few years, yeah?"

"Awesome." Gilbert gave him a tiny, tense smile in return. He then dipped down to kiss Matthew, and the light around them intensified before they faded away.

Alfred was left alone. He stared into the river for a while, suddenly shaking himself out of his stupor and starting off in the direction of Arthur. He jogged along silently and used the time to get more adjusted to his new body. He reached the spot where Arthur had said he would be waiting and rushed forward.

The Englishman was kneeling on the ground, a knife to his throat.

"Arthur!" Alfred yelled, barely managing to stop himself from crashing into the man and instead reaching out. His hand went right through Arthur's shoulder and touched his soul. Both Alfred and Arthur gasped, and the ghost recoiled.

"A-Alfred?" Arthur stared right at him, the hand with the knife lowering to his lap. "I- I thought you-"

"I did die." Alfred interrupted quietly. "But I'm a ghost now, so I'll always be next to you."

Arthur sniffed, and a fresh tear rolled down his cheek. Alfred immediately reached out to wipe it away, but to his dismay his hand went right through Arthur again. He pulled away and watched as Arthur wiped it away himself, dropping the blade onto the grass in the process.

"I-I thought we could finally be safe." Arthur hiccupped. "That we w-were finally going to be free of them. But they- but they got you- oh! And Matthew and Gilbert too!"

"Where are they now? Your brothers?" Alfred asked softly. He hated seeing Arthur so miserable, especially over something he had so little control over.

"Alastair's down there somewhere- I pushed him over, but I dunno where he landed." Arthur motioned vaguely over the edge of the cliff. "Liam was here, but he's gone now and I haven't heard from or seen Owen since he- since he called." He took what was most likely meant as a steadying breath, but it didn't work because he reached for the knife again.

"No!" Alfred concentrated really hard and reached out to grab the blade before Arthur could reach it, sending it spinning out of range.

"Why not?" Arthur looked like he might pursue it, but then let his hand fall limply to the grass. "I could be with you then."

"Don't ya see me? Artie, I'm right here!"

"You're a bloody  _ghost!_ "

"Killing yourself isn't the answer! It won't solve or change anything." Alfred told him firmly.

"I'd be able to touch you then!" Arthur cried out.

"We'll make it work, Artie." Alfred said soothingly. "Look, if I could touch the knife, then maybe with a little bit of practice, I could touch you too!"

Arthur stayed silent and stared at the ground for a while. The ghost was starting to get worried when the Englishman suddenly sat up and looked around. "Where are Gilbert and Matthew? Are they here?"

"No..." Alfred looked down. "They passed on."

Arthur bit his lip and shook, though he seemed to have better control of himself now. "Why?"

"They were together. I'm waitin' for you." Alfred smiled a bit. " _Not_  that you should go off killing yourself. That's stupid and I don't want that to happen to you. Hey Artie. Look at me."

"Yes?" Arthur looked up and forced himself to meet the ghost's gaze.

"Live for me, kay? I'll be right here by your side, I promise. Just go out an' have fun and stuff, alright?"

Arthur couldn't bring himself to nod.

* * *

The day the second bridge fell was the day Arthur Kirkland stopped smiling. After his conversation with the ghost, he stood up, knife forgotten on the edge of the grass. He walked into the winter estate and didn't come out for five years.

Alastair Kirkland's body was found floating in the river the next day. The authorities made a big fuss and sent out a halfhearted search for the killer, but in actuality they were so relieved that the Scottish terror was dead that they didn't really care who did it. The fact that the city was safe was enough in their eyes. And no one from the city was about to protest that.

Of Liam Kirkland, Owen Kirkland, and Francis Bonnefoy there was no sign. No one ever heard from any of them again. The trio seemed to have vanished like smoke, though there was a small bouquet of roses on Wesley's grave every year on the anniversary of the New Zealander's death.

Arthur was quite content in the little world he'd built for himself in the mansion. Well, as content as one could be after their lover died. Oh, Alfred tried to get him to come out, but Arthur wouldn't budge. He called a food delivery service and had them bring him food once a week, and he cleaned everything himself. Alfred went everywhere with him, even the bathroom, too afraid of what Arthur could potentially do to himself to leave him alone for even a bit.

The ghost eventually explored the whole house and found the piano. The first time he played on it, Arthur burst into tears. Alfred had immediately stopped and went over to hold him. He'd mastered his new form quickly and soon discovered that he could make himself tangible enough to touch and hold and kiss Arthur. It wasn't perfect, but they both had to make do with it since Alfred wouldn't let the Englishman kill himself.

Arthur frequently raged about it (especially if he was drunk- which happened more often than Alfred would like), but Alfred was insistent that Arthur live out his life as well as he could. Over time, as he played the piano more often, Arthur no longer started crying when he heard the first notes and instead grew to enjoy listening to the music.

The first time he went out, Arthur simply went to the grocery store. The people who recognized him were shocked, for they thought he had died alongside his brother and the twins. They tried to talk to him but he was cold and emotionless and they eventually gave up. He never smiled or laughed, or even exchanged words with anyone except for the obligatory 'Good day' and 'Thank you' at the register. He also didn't go near the new bridges or the city, preferring instead to go the other way through the forest until he reached the nearest town.

About seven years after the disaster, he carried out Gilbert's last request and searched for Ludwig. He found the stoic German man living alone and explained everything. To give him credit, Ludwig didn't cry. Not receiving any contact from Gilbert for years he had assumed the worst, but he was glad in a way to find out the truth. Arthur didn't talk to him much, especially about the past, but he did his best to visit the man at least twice a year. Eventually Ludwig found his own lover, and after that Arthur stopped visiting, deeming the German man happy enough with his boyfriend. Then, Arthur reverted back to his solitary life with his ghost.

And so he lived like that for the next thirty years. Arthur Kirkland died one winter when he got caught out in a blizzard. But he didn't mind much. Alfred was with him, and as frustrated as the ghost got, he seemed to know that there was nothing he could do to keep Arthur tied to life any more and that it was time to move on.

Arthur's death was quick, and his ghost eagerly left his body to join Alfred. The ghost was a reflection of Arthur at the time when Alfred was still alive, when the Englishman was at his happiest. The two of them reveled in their once again warm touches, and as they kissed they glowed and passed on.

His body was buried in the cemetery, and because some people claimed to have seen him and Alfred together in their younger years, he was placed in the same grave as the pianist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
